


voice on the radio

by overcastphan



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: AU, Chaptered, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-06-10 01:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 42,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6932692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overcastphan/pseuds/overcastphan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan should be old enough to know not to fall in love with the voice on the radio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dan Howell loves a band. He loves a band more than breathing, more than life itself, more than pizza. If there were a word that expressed his love for this band other than the mundane word "love", it would be that. Every ounce of his being went towards supporting this band because he believes this band is the reason he's still on this planet in the first place, and maybe it is.

Dan loves this band with all his heart and it's more than just a petty obsession because he thinks the band members are cute, which they are, but that was just a bonus. He simply doesn't love this band because they're famous and the latest trend. He loves them because they are more of a friend than anybody in his town.

The lyrics are more than just words that are sung on the radio to make money, they are what he thinks give his life meaning. They are what keep him going, they are the words he can't say, they are what he listens to to drown out bad thoughts that plague his mind when he can't fall asleep. Those lyrics are what give him comfort in life because he knows he isn't the only one who has had bad days.

The posters he hangs on his walls are more than just pieces of paper with cute boys with talent printed on it. They are the people who make him smile when he wants to cry. They are the people he wants to meet more than anything because they were there for him when no one else was, even when he knows they don't know he exists. They are the hope that good people still exist on this planet.

This band is the hope he clutches onto and all he wants is to tell them how much they mean to him. He wants to tell them everything, but he can't. Not because he has a slim to none chance of meeting them. Not because he wouldn't be able to form a coherent thought if he was in their presence.

No, the only reason he wouldn't be able to speak to them is because he physically can't. He's mute.


	2. Chapter 2

Dan sighs as he plops down onto his bed after an emotionally and physically exhausting week of school. He knew he only had to make it through one more semester until he could finally graduate and get out, but it seemed impossible. The homework load was enough to make him want to set himself on fire (lmao) and by adding in an entire grade of assholes, Dan was close to dropping out and becoming a stripper.

Learning in general was something that he enjoyed, but not when the information was given to him in the form of writing bullet point notes or completing an array of textbook questions by a teacher who hates their job. He would rather learn at his own pace and get rid of the homework altogether.

The people in his grade didn't make the school experience any better. 90% of the grade only cared about the parties that happened almost every weekend and the other 10% were actually decent but not people interested in hanging out with a boy who couldn't even speak to them.

All Dan knew was that whoever said high school would be the best four years of his life was either a) actually popular with friends or b) a liar.

The only decent part of his day was coming home and spending time with his mum. His dad was usually never home since he served in the military and was always overseas. The days he was home were the best days and the only thing Dan really looked forward to. Those were the days his mum was the happiest.

He reluctantly gets out of bed, knowing he has a boatload of homework that couldn't be put off until Sunday night. Normally, he would challenge that and purposely leave it until last minute simply just to prove a point, but an essay he had no topic for wasn't something he wanted to do at 3am.

The essay was a turning point essay. He would have to write about a moment in his life where he had "a turning point". A moment where he had an epiphany so to speak and his life changed forever. Dan had thought about writing about his life being mute, but his life had always been like this so he didn't have any evidence of what others call a "normal" life. He could write about his father serving in the military, but again, it was something he had always known. Dan always enjoyed English class so he didn't want to just write about something that could be seen as typical and he definitely didn't want to write about something that had a bullshit meaning to it. Needless to say, his life wasn't dramatic enough to have a turning point.

All he did was wake up earlier than the sun and then hit snooze for another hour, survive the never ending hell of school, come home to attempt to start the same magnitude of hell called homework, eat dinner, and then spend countless hours on tumblr adding to his shitpost aesthetic.

What Dan needed was a plot twist. He needed something that would come crashing into his life and turn it upside down and make it a little exciting. What he didn't know was that that plot twist would come in the form of a band.

He grabs his headphones from his backpack before dropping them like the klutz he is. He makes no attempt to catch them and instead stares at them lying on the ground rather than picking them up.

_Is it really worth bending over to get them? Or can I live without them?_

He decides to live without them.

Now he has the difficult decision of choosing a song to listen to. He tries shuffle but every song wasn't right. He was getting frustrated so instead of listening to the music already on his phone, he turns on the local radio station that actually played decent music instead of the same 10 hits on repeat. This station would often play bands that were considered "no names" in the music industry and finding new music was one of Dan's favourite pastimes.

He sits at his desk and turns the volume to just above half so he's able to concentrate on thinking of an essay topic. Dan grabs a pencil and immediately begins chewing on the end, grabs a piece of paper for notes, opens his laptop, and begins to stare at his wall as if it held the secrets of the universe. The soft tune of an alternative band echoes through his room as he debates some possibilities.

All creative processes were failing to function and Dan was close to giving up even though he had barely started. It was as if his imagination was a gaping void of emptiness. He simply had nothing.

Dan pushes his laptop aside and leans his head against the cool surface of the desk. This essay was due on Monday and he had absolutely nothing. At this rate he would have to go with one of the two he didn't want to write about and make a bullshit turning point that wasn't true or just take the 0.

His attention wanders over to the music when he hears what he assumes as the instrumental intro for a new song. He almost forgot he had music playing and he didn't know why this particular song had caught his attention.

He turns his full attention to the song playing and he has never been more thankful for doing so.

_**Some say love is not for sinners** _   
_**I believe that isn't true** _   
_**'Cause when I was finished sinning** _   
_**Love came down and showed me you** _

Dan wasn't sure what it was, but he was feeling like a school boy again. He felt like he was twelve and had just seen a pretty boy walk by, but of course had to keep the freaking out down to an absolute minimum. That wasn't working out for him in this case. He knew what fangirling was, he just never thought he'd actually experience it for himself.

He could feel tears welling up behind his eyes and he wasn't sure why. The song itself was beautiful, but not sad. His emotions had already been thrown into disarray and he had only heard one song. He also felt an uncontrollable need to scream or at least squeal like a five year old girl who had just gotten a puppy for Christmas.

Dan felt as if a hole in his heart that he wasn't aware of was being filled in and he knew he needed to find out who this band was.

I just want to know what they look like and what their names are. That's it.

He spent the rest of his evening and a good majority of the early morning hours researching the band, listening to every song they had, and watching whatever video of them he could find on the Internet.

He wasn't sure what had happened but his life had changed. All thanks to a band called Vegas.

♬♬♬

**a/n if you think I regret calling the band Vegas you're wrong.**


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n whenever you see what Dan's saying in quotations just know he's using sign language and not actually talking!**

♬♬♬

Dan didn't fall asleep until the first rays of sun were coming up over the horizon and in that moment he knew he had already fallen in too deep. All it took was one song to make him fall head over heels for this band and now that he knew their names and had listened to their album, he was obsessed. Dan had always loved bands as well as other things in pop culture but this was different. This was on an entirely different scale that Dan wasn't aware existed.

Luckily for him, Vegas only had one album, so it was easy to catch up on all the info he needed. He had a feeling he would know all the lyrics by the end of today, he watched the interviews, he followed the band members on all social media, he even had a favourite.

Phil Lester.

The lead singer of Vegas had completely snatched his heart and he wasn't complaining in the slightest. His voice was heaven, he was the most attractive person Dan had ever seen, he was the actual sun.

He felt guilty for already choosing a favourite after only a matter of hours, but he also knew it was okay to have a favourite as long as he didn't ignore the other members. It was called a band after all.

Though he was the lead singer, Dan could tell he was the underrated member in the band. Just by reading the YouTube comments on their interviews, Dan knew the majority of the fanbase loved Matt, the guitarist. He was attractive, but not Dan's type. Matt was almost too perfect.

Henry the bassist, and Adam, the drummer, were also extremely attractive, but again not Dan's type. Or maybe he was already just biased over Phil.

Phil just had the sweetest smile and kindest blue eyes Dan had ever seen. From what he knew of him so far, he could see himself being best friends with him. If only Phil knew Dan existed.

Dan was about to get his laptop out to fall deeper into the void that was fan life, but then he smelt pancakes. As much as he loved this band already, he was hungry more than anything.

He went down the stairs to see his mum placing what he assumed as the last pancakes on a plate. His stomach rumbled, signifying his entrance. Dan's mum turns around and smiles sweetly at her son.

"Good morning, love. How'd you sleep?" She asks as she pecks Dan on the cheek.

Dan signs out "yes", but knowing very well he should have went to bed before the sun came up. He was used to staying up it'll early hours of the morning, but never until dawn (aye).

"Have you thought of a topic for your essay yet?"

Dan's face pales at the realization that he still hadn't come up with a topic and instead of working on it, he spent the whole night researching a band. That counted as education, right?

'No, not yet.' Dan signs as he blushes slightly when his mum shakes her head.

"Isn't it due this week?"

'Monday.'

Her eyes widen, "It's due on Monday and you haven't even thought of a topic? Dan, you have two days! What were you doing last night then?"

'I found a band?'

His mum's eyes narrow, "That's what you did instead of homework?"

Dan does nothing by shrug his shoulders and attempts to avoid eye contact.

"Well, show me the band then. If they distract you from homework they better be good."

This was why his mum was his favourite person on earth. Any other parent would be disappointed that he didn't do homework, but his mum was supportive in everything. He was so grateful.

Dan spent the entirety of breakfast showing his mum their songs and various interviews and from what he could tell, she actually liked them too. She also guessed that Phil was his favourite in which Dan blushed. Mum's knew everything.

"Okay, I understand why you got distracted, but now you need to go write this essay. Don't make me turn off the wifi."

Despite the threat, she smiled knowingly and walked away. Dan knew she wouldn't, but he wasn't about to test that theory.

He trudges back up the stairs while humming along to a song, sits down, and falls right back into the idealess state he was in yesterday when he came home from school.

So, instead of trying to get rid of all distractions and work on the essay, he went on tumblr and created a separate blog specifically for Vegas. Not the productivity he needed, but productivity nonetheless.

The fandom for Vegas was considerably large despite the band itself being pretty unknown, at least to the mainstream media. Dan was happy for that, he had already formed a sense of protection over them and it had only been two days. Less fans, more opportunities to get noticed and buy tickets.

He scrolled through the Vegas tag reblogging and following for a solid hour. That's when he came across a gif of Phil and his life changed. It was the best thing he had ever seen. He felt blessed, he felt unworthy, a peasant like him shouldn't be allowed to gaze upon a god.

Dan immediately switched over to twitter.

 **danisnotonfire:** someone put this gif on my gravestone thx

Phil Lester was truly something. A beautiful human being that deserved all the love and happiness in the world. If Dan was able to, he'd make sure he could always be there to protect him and make him smile just like he made Dan smile.

_Wow Dan, what have you gotten yourself into this time?_


	4. Chapter 4

A miracle happened that Monday morning during second period. Dan walked into English class with what could quite possibly be deemed as the worst essay ever written stuffed into his bag. He had spent the entirety of his weekend on various social media, completely consuming his life with Vegas, leading him to have completely forgotten about the essay until 11pm on Sunday. So, in a caffeine craze, he typed up the most pathetic turning point until 3am and he was almost embarrassed to hand it in. At this point he would rather take the zero.

He sat down at his desk towards the back of class and looked out the window, contemplating whether he could scale down the side of the building. The bell rings and his teacher comes rushing in looking more tired than the students.

"Good morning class. First things first, how many of you have actually finished their essay?"

Nobody raised their hands except for Dan, who quickly put it back down when he realized he was the only one.

"Okay, good. It's not going to be due until the end of the month. Don't ask why, just be grateful."

Dan wasn't sure if this was considered a miracle or he had just gotten extremely lucky. Either way, he wasn't going to question it. Now he had a solid two weeks to actually write something worth handing in.

He spent the rest of the day trying to keep himself engaged in classes but ended up daydreaming for the majority of the time. The second half of the semester was the worst for Dan's attention span. He knew he had to pay attention since exams were coming up, but the idea of summer was so close that he didn't want to do anything.

After this semester he would never have to see anyone from his school ever again. He was slightly upset that he never made a connection with anyone, but at the same time he didn't really care. It's not like he'd ever be able to have a normal conversation with them anyway. He needed someone who would understand that and that someone was definitely not in his school.

His mind wanders to the day where he finally finds someone who understands him. He was curious as to when it would happen and who it would be. Phil's face flashes through his mind and Dan blushes slightly.

_Oh yeah, okay Dan. It's been a total of four days since you've discovered this band and the lead singer is not going to be that someone, as amazing as that would be._

Despite telling himself this, he still can't help imagining the possibility. Meeting him in general would be the best thing to ever happen, but actually being able to see him everyday would be even better.

The deafening sound of the school bell rings signalling to Dan that he had successfully survived another day of hell. Now he could go home and spend the rest of the day and night doing various things revolved around Vegas. The essay was pushed to the back of his mind for the time being, he had tons of time now.

Dan walked out into the bustling hallway full of students who couldn't get out of the school fast enough. He maneuvered his way through the crowd until he came to his locker. Books he no longer needed were quickly exchanged for those he did need for homework and he quickly made his way down the stairs to freedom.

He breathed in the fresh air, put in his headphones, and began his walk home. He hummed along to Vegas with a smile on his face as he glanced up at the sun. Spring had just begun and the weather was lovely. Not too cold, not too hot, it was perfect. Perfect weather to go along with a perfect band. Dan was actually happy on a Monday. He hoped this would be a good sign for the whole week.

Despite the weather being nice, he couldn't wait to get inside and sit on his laptop in his room with the curtains closed. He was outside for long enough to appreciate the sun, but he didn't want to risk the chance of becoming a baked potato. Dan has gone through that once before and he wasn't interested for a second time.

Dan walked through the front door and immediately walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. He wasn't a very good cook so he settled for some crackers and brought the box upstairs to accompany him on another Vegas spree.

He settled onto his bed and set his laptop on his lap, munching on the crackers as he waited for the laptop to turn on. Dan didn't have a set plan on what he was going to do, he was just going to allow the Internet to take him on a journey.

These past few days had been the same; neglecting homework and fuelling his Vegas obsession by listening to their music, watching interviews, and even reading fanfiction. Yes, it has already gotten to that point. The majority of the Phil fanfictions were straight relationships so all Dan did was change the pronouns while reading and he was set. He only wished he would read this much for school.

Dan logged onto Tumblr and noticed a notification bubble by his messages. He was really hoping it was someone who genuinely wanted to talk to him rather than those spam accounts that asked you to click on their ads or check out their game. Nothing was worse than the small moment of hope for social interaction dwindling to disappointment.

Much to Dan's excitement, it was an actual message.

 **annaisvegastrash:** ayyyeee you look like you like vegas as much as I do let's be bffs (does anyone actually say that anymore?)

 **danisnotonfire:** I have never liked anything more and I don't think so but whatever I'm down to be bffs (nice url btw)

 **annaisvegastrash:** so tell me about yourself dan and thank you yours is pretty cool too if I'm honest

 **danisnotonfire:** there's not much to tell? I mean I love Vegas a lot and that's pretty much the only thing interesting about my life rn. hbu?

 **annaisvegastrash:** honestly same with me. I'm pretty ruined thanks to them

 **danisnotonfire:** me too and I've only been here since Friday

 **annaisvegastrash:** woah seriously? just judging by your Tumblr alone I would have thought you had been a fan for ages

 **danisnotonfire:** I wish I had been. idk where they've been all my life.

 **annaisvegastrash:** they're still pretty new so you haven't missed much. I'd still consider you an original fan. how'd you first hear them anyway?

 **danisnotonfire:** they were on the radio when I was supposed to be writing an essay for english. needless to say I didn't end up writing it

 **annaisvegastrash:** they're always going to be more important than school. what's the essay supposed to be on

 **danisnotonfire:** it's supposed to be a turning point essay. write about a moment that changed your perspective type of thing

 **annaisvegastrash:** would you be able to write about Vegas?

Dan's eyes widened at the sudden realization of how daft he had been. He had a topic right in front of him this entire time and he had no idea.

 **danisnotonfire:** you my friend have just said the most helpful thing and I am eternally grateful that you decided to message me of all people on this website

 **annaisvegastrash:** it's what I'm here for. give me some copyright and we'll be all good ;) btw you're pretty cute

 **danisnotonfire:** oh thank you that's very sweet of you. I'm gay though

 **annaisvegastrash:** so am I. don't have to worry about me

 **danisnotonfire:** oh okay oops

 **annaisvegastrash:** I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship

 **danisnotonfire:** two flaming homosexuals who love a band just a bit too much


	5. Chapter 5

He had reached the bottom of the void. He was no longer trash, he was the actual dump. Vegas had become the air he breathed. A month had passed since he found them and it was the happiest month he had ever experienced. Whenever he was stressed about school, he would listen to their music. Whenever missing his dad became too much for both him and his mum, he listened to their music. Whenever the assholes at school decided Dan wasn't invisible and used their own lack of self worth to pick on his, he listened to their music.

Vegas had become a sense of home for Dan, comfort and safety were found within the lyrics and he was grateful. He never realized how much something could mean to him until this band came into his life. He may not be able to speak, but the lyrics were the words he wasn't able to say.

He and Anna had been talking every day since the first and had become closer friends than anyone Dan had known since elementary school. Internet friends were so much better than actual friends. They understood and supported you even if they don't know you, and Dan was able to talk about the idiots at school without there being any chance of drama starting.

The only flaw was that she lived in America and he was in the UK. They were an entire ocean apart and it sucked, especially the time zones. They only had a small time frame to talk and they always used it as much as possible, even if it meant procrastinating homework, which wasn't that big of a deal since he did that anyway. He just wished she lived closer.

For the time being however, Dan was content with being able to say he had a best friend, even if she was miles away. Plus, the Internet was the easiest way to talk to her since all he had to do was type.

 **danisnotonfire:** sometimes I see pictures of phil and all I want to do is look up at the heavens and cry

 **annaisvegastrash:** do you think he's actually an angel?

 **danisnotonfire:** no. he's a god. and he needs to be worshipped.

 **annaisvegastrash:** how's your shrine coming along?

 **danisnotonfire:** I just need some candles and I'm good. don't think mum would be very fond of having them burning 24/7 beside pieces of paper though

 **annaisvegastrash:** get those fake candles. the battery operated ones

 **danisnotonfire:** *gasp* you're a genius

And she was. School came so easily to her that she barely even had to study. She'd be able to read over notes twice and have it memorized. Dan was envious of that because she had more time to go on the Internet without feeling guilty about it.

Speaking of homework, Dan had two math handouts to complete and he had no idea what to do.

 **danisnotonfire:** hey genius. what the fuck is a quadratic equation. help me

-

Phil wasn't having a good day. He had overslept due to the late gig the band had the night before so he was late to practice. He didn't understand why one of his band mates couldn't have woken him up, but whatever, he was just angry he missed breakfast. His microphone kept cutting out during the practice which just frustrated him more, especially since he had an empty stomach.

He didn't get to have lunch either since they had an appearance at a local radio station which went well apart from the stomach rumbles. All Phil wanted was some food, then his day would be better.

The radio show dragged on for what felt like years but in reality was only an hour. Once they were done, Phil bolted out and went to the closest restaurant which happened to be some Greek place. He enjoyed Greek cuisine and he'd appreciate it even more considering his hunger.

He had ordered and decided to go on twitter while waiting for his food. Reading tweets from fans always made his day, no matter how crappy it had been. Of course he had the occasional hate tweet, but it was expected. There was always someone in the world that had to inflict their negativity on others. Phil did his best not to let it bother him since it came with the job description. It's something he could deal with.

Phil's smile grew with every tweet he read and replied to as many as he could. The more he replied to, the more tweets came in. He assumed people caught on to his tweeting spree which he didn't mind, it just meant he'd miss more people. If he had the chance, he would reply to every single tweet and have a conversation with every single person, but it always got to a point where it became impossible.

 **smileylester: @AmazingPhil** hi phillip

 **AmazingPhil: @smileylester** helllooo!

 **stardustvegas: @AmazingPhil** whatcha doin' Phil

 **AmazingPhil: @stardustvegas** currently waiting for some greek food. yum!

 **sluttyformatt: @AmazingPhil** I'm glad your parents didn't use a condom

 **AmazingPhil: @sluttyformatt** same here

He replied to as many as he could for a solid 15 minutes before his food finally came out. He didn't realize how hungry he actually was until he took his first bite, which then led to him inhaling the rest. Others around him would think he hadn't eaten in a week but he didn't care.

Soon, his stomach was full and he was a happy person once again. So much so he went back to Twitter just to read through more tweets without replying. He was always stalking as much as he could. Being a band member made stalking so much less creepy in his opinion.

 **danisnotonfire: @AmazingPhil** I hope you're having a good day. you deserve all the happiness in the world

Tweets like that were his favourite. Just the fact that there were people out there that cared for his well being made him the happiest and luckiest person on the planet. He was grateful to be given the opportunities he had been given to make a career out of something he loved to do. The lovely fans were just a bonus.

 **AmazingPhil: @danisnotonfire** today didn't start off the best but it's lovely now! you deserve happiness too ✨


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n so apparently the end of the previous chapter got cut off and I didn't realize until now smh so go reread that and then this one. this is a short/shit chapter but I wanted to post something. I have my last exam on monday so updates will be more frequent after that!**

 

Dan couldn't believe it. He had been staring at his computer screen for 10 minutes in complete disbelief. The notifications kept streaming in but he still couldn't fathom that it had happened.

Philip Michael Lester had actually tweeted him. The actual Phil Lester from the greatest band to ever exist. The Phil that he had completely fallen in love with over the short span of a month.

 **annaisvegastrash:** DAN

 **annaisvegastrash:** OH MY GOD

 **annaisvegastrash:** OHIK TWEETD YOR

 **annaisvegastrash:** AFE YOH KJAY

 **annaisvegastrash:** ARE YKU EVEN STILK ALIVE

Dan couldn't even respond to his best friend, mainly because he was in shock but also due to the amount of notifications flooding in. Tears began to roll down his cheeks as what just happened hit him. If he was this emotional over getting a simple reply, how would he handle seeing them live, or even meeting them?

Maybe Dan was crying because Phil said he deserved happiness. Dan knew it could simply be a nice thing to reply with, but to Dan, it meant so much more. Family members have said nice things to him in the past, but he never believed them.

A million compliments were always forgotten after one insult and Dan sometimes felt like he deserved the insults rather than the compliments. He couldn't even reply back when someone said something, he always felt useless. But today, over a simple tweet, he felt like he could begin to allow himself to actually be happy.

He was beyond grateful for Phil Lester and no words could explain the amount of gratitude. Dan began to think that he could survive the rest of this year after all. The bullies at school didn't matter. He had Anna and he had Vegas. He decided he would focus on the simple yet important things because he did in fact deserve happiness.

 **danisnotonfire:** THIS IS THE BEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO ME

 **danisnotonfire:** I HAVE BEEN BLESSED

 **annaisvegastrash:** I THOUGHT YOU HAD PASSED OUT OR SOMETHING

 **danisnotonfire:** I COULDN'T REPLY BECAUSE THE NOTIFICATIONS KEPT FREEZING MY PHONE AND BECAUSE I ACTUALLY ALMOST DIED

 **annaisvegastrash:** I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU OMF YOU DESERVE THIS MORE THAN ANYONE

 **danisnotonfire:** BRB GONNA GO CRY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE

 **danisnotonfire:** WAIT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO HOMEWORK NOW?!

 **annaisvegastrash:** add this tweet to your turning point essay. use the feels as motivation

 **danisnotonfire:** have I ever told you that you're genius?

 **annaisvegastrash:** only every day since we started talking but I know I am


	7. Chapter 7

Phil had writers block and to say he was frustrated would be an understatement. When he had sat down in the back room of the bus he was completely ready and inspired to start writing songs for the next album. But the moment he grabbed his journal and pen, all inspiration drained out and he was left desperately trying to clutch onto any ideas that were left. He failed miserably in that aspect and he groaned while laying his head down on the cool surface of the table.

It was moments like these where he deemed himself a failure at being a band member. He loved every bit of it and he was grateful to be able to make his dream into a career, but he still felt like he wasn't cut out for it. He knew there were always people who could do better than him. Phil obviously had a decent voice since he was chosen as the lead singer and they had a decent following that enjoyed his singing, but his voice, in his opinion, wasn't anything special. He was too socially awkward for interviews and meet and greets and the only reason he didn't get too nervous on stage was because the stage lights usually blinded him so he couldn't see the crowd. Songwriting was the one thing he saw himself as better than average and now he couldn't even do that.

He sat back up and began tapping his pen and looked around the tour bus. All he needed to do was calm down, clear his mind of any doubts, and think. If he began to panic over not being able to write, he wouldn't get anything done. Even in school, he would attempt to block out all negativity, breathe, and eventually something would pop into his head that triggered an idea and he wouldn't stop writing until he was done.

He needed to distract himself instead of worrying about it. They were just beginning their tour so Phil didn't know why he was even bothering worrying about the next album. He and the rest of the band had a lot of time to work on it. For now, he would simply focus on putting on the best show possible for everyone who ended up buying tickets.

Phil shoved his journal back into his backpack, grabbed his phone and sunglasses, and left the bus. The summer sun warmed his skin immediately as he stepped off the bus and he put on his sunglasses to prevent himself from squinting as he made his way into the venue they were performing in that night.

He was excited for the show. No matter what mood he was in, performing music to a crowd of people who were happy when listening to his band's music always managed to make him the happiest boy in the world. Phil loved touring despite all the late nights and early mornings and aching limbs. The smiling faces made everything worth it.

This was going to be Vegas' biggest tour yet, though it was still considered small when compared to other bands. But for a band that started out a year ago, it was big. The chances they were given were what Phil considered a miracle. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd ever be able to perform his music and actually have people pay to hear it live.

Phil entered the venue through the back door and maneuvered through the endless grey walled halls to the band's dressing room. When he arrived he was immediately bombarded by his other band mates who were enthusiastically chattering at the same time. Phil stared at them blankly since he couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Woah woah woah, I don't know what you're saying. Can one person talk at a time please?"

"We've been nominated for some award thing a radio station is doing!" Henry said as he moved his hands wildly above him.

"What?! What award?! How?!"

"There's this radio station that has a small award show so to speak every year for bands that aren't exactly huge in the music industry. It's good exposure for every band, whether they win or not, and we've been nominated for best new group."

Phil blinked rapidly trying to process what was being said. Vegas was actually nominated for something? Sure it wasn't an official award show that was televised but it was something. This could be the start of their breakthrough. This could be what shifts them from an unknown band to a more well known one.

"This is incredible! Wow, we of all people, nominated for something!"

"We'll need to tweet about it, fans vote for it through tweets."

"We should all tweet something. If we won I think I'd cry tears of joy."

All four boys whipped out their phones and began typing out their tweets.

**MattyVegas:** GUYS! we're nominated for best new group for the BOOM FM Awards! vote using #BestNewGroupVegas

**HenryB:** go go go! we need your votes! #BestNewGroupVegas

**CoolGuyAdam:** we need you dudes! #BestNewGroupVegas

**AmazingPhil:** everyone who votes will get their very own spaceship! (comes with aliens) #BestNewGroupVegas

Tweets slowly began to flow in as more people read the tweets until there was a constant stream of their beautiful fans showing their support by voting. Phil smiled widely, even if they didn't win the award, he was beyond happy seeing everyone trying for the band.

Phil read through the tweets until it was time for their soundcheck before the show. He almost forgot their tour was starting tonight and as he remembered the nerves began to settle in. He was used to playing shows but he still couldn't help but feel nervous. Once he got through the opening song he was usually fine. The initial nerves and overthinking came with the job he supposed.

He took a quick glance back at his phone to read more tweets before he had to leave and smiled at the few fans who were spamming the hashtag as if their life depended on it. It was weird to think that some fans could be so supportive that they literally spent full days doing things revolving around his band. He wished he could tell 10 year old Phil who was more than likely alone in his bedroom learning guitar that one day he would have his own fanbase. It probably would have saved him from going through the sadder days.

**danisnotonfire: @AmazingPhil @MattyVegas @CoolGuyAdam @HenryB** I GOTCHU FAM #BestNewGroupVegas


	8. Chapter 8

Whenever Dan had an excess amount of time to tweet, he would. His fingers had gone numb from the rapid typing that had occurred over the past three days and he was completely surprised he hadn't reached tweet limit yet. He wouldn't be surprised if he had reached 1000 tweets or more at this point per day. All he knew was that he was taking voting more seriously than school. If only he used this much effort in essay writing, if he did he could have written a novel by now.

Dan really should be writing his essay, but he had a band to support. In his opinion it was much more important than anything else, he had his priorities sorted. He was determined in making Vegas win. Though he knew it wasn't an "official" award, it would still be good publicity for them. As much as he wanted them to stay a small little band that was personal to the fandom, he also knew that if they were going to continue making music, they'd have to grow.

He was also determined in getting himself noticed by constantly tweeting. As much as he wanted them to win, he also had his selfish side. Getting noticed by causing them to get the award would be a win-win situation. Vegas had been having follow sprees for people using he hashtag and Dan wanted a follow. From anyone. He was hoping since Phil had tweeted him, his user would catch his eye but it hasn't worked out in his favour yet.

Being a fan could be so frustrating sometimes. He wanted the band members to follow him, but not just because he was a "fan." He'd want them to follow him and actually think he were a cool person that they'd hang out with. Of course that was simply a dream that would more than likely never happen. They were a band and he was a fan, nothing more. But that didn't mean he couldn't be one of those fans who the band knew on first name basis and not just a Twitter name. He had some optimism after all.

**annaisvegastrash:** it blows my mind that Vegas hasn't noticed you yet with all your tweets. you're literally clogging up the entire hashtag

**danisnotonfire:** the problem is that when they do come online everyone starts tweeting again. or they have me on mute which is more likely

**annaisvegastrash:** they can't put you on mute, you're already mute

**danisnotonfire:** wow rude #blocked

**annaisvegastrash:** soz was that too far?

**danisnotonfire:** no. if it were anyone else it would be but I know you don't say it in an attempt to make my self-loathing increase

And it was true. He knew Anna didn't make jokes maliciously and he wasn't the type to get all upset over something so simple. He knew the difference between a joke to lighten the situation and an insult by someone who just wanted to be a bully by trying to be funny. Plus, Anna was his best friend and even when she made a joke about his muteness she always asked if it was too far. She cared and that's all Dan could ask for.

He zoned out for a few minutes, simply staring out the window into the backyard. His mind wandered as he watched the spring green leaves rustle in the wind. Vegas was currently touring and he of course didn't have tickets to go. He felt guilty in asking his mom to buy them for him since he knew money was tight despite his mom saying everything was fine.

Dan was hoping that Vegas or a radio station would have a contest for tickets at some point. He had constantly been checking every single local radio station multiple times a day and checking if a miracle happened and someone was selling them for an extremely cheap price that he was able to buy using his birthday savings last year. He wanted to be able to see them before they inevitably got bigger and the shows became more impersonal due to larger venues. They were also in the stage of being able to meet groups of fans who waited outside the venue and Dan wasn't about to miss out on that opportunity. No matter what, he'd find a way to get to the show.

As if God or whoever was the bigger power in this universe heard his thoughts, he got a notification that jolted him out of his daydream.

**AmazingPhil:** WE GOT A CONTEST FRIENDS! we will randomly pick one person using the hashtag and they will receive two free tickets to a show of their choice! picking later tonight! go go go!

Dan eyes widened. This was his chance. Nothing, and he meant nothing, was going to prevent him from winning this contest. Sure it was picked at random, but he was going to do what he did best and be the annoying person who clogged up the entire timeline. He would would be the spammer for these tickets.

**danisnotonfire:** good luck to everyone trying for these tickets! lowkey want all of you to lose though sorry #BestNewGroupVegas

He spent the entire afternoon and evening sending out tweets. Phil did say they were choosing at night but that didn't mean they weren't stalking the hashtag looking at who was actually voting continuously and not just when it was needed.

Hours passed by quickly and his laptop was overheating but he still continued to tweet. The only time he left his laptop was to go get food but even then he tweeted from he phone. He had typed out all of the lyrics, all of the song names, every picture he could find, and random life updates. If they didn't choose the winner soon he was going to start posting memes.

**annaisvegastrash:** if someone else wins this contest I will honestly riot. no one else has even come close to tweeting as much as you have. you're all I see on my timeline

**danisnotonfire:** it all comes down to chance though. I usually don't have luck with contests anyway and I'm not going to sulk if I don't win. may shed a few tears but I'll get over it

**annaisvegastrash:** I don't care if you get over it or not. I'll still riot

Dan smiled at his computer screen. He really wanted to win this contest. He wanted to see Vegas at least once. Just to see the band that saved his life in person would be enough for him. Dan didn't think he would want anything more than that.

**AmazingPhil:** the time has come guys!

_Oh god, here we go..._ Dan thought as he crossed his fingers.

**AmazingPhil:** our winner is....

_Please pick me, please, please, please._ Dan shut his eyes waiting for the next notification to buzz through.

**AmazingPhil:** congratulations **@sunshinevegas** ! dm me with the show of your choosing! thanks for voting everybody. wish we could choose every single one of you!

_Oh._

Dan was gutted more than he thought he would be. He was so sure that luck would be on his side, but again, he never had much luck in the first place.

**annaisvegastrash:** thIS IS AN OUTRAGE BRB GOING TO START A PETITION TO GET YOU JUSTICE SMH SUNSHINEVEGAS TWEETED LIKE 10 TIMES

**danisnotonfire:** whether she tweeted a lot or not she still tweeted. she deserves it

**annaisvegastrash:** you deserve it more. I'm sorry Dan

**danisnotonfire:** it's okay. there will be more opportunities eventually for this tour or the next :)

Even though Dan said that, he wondered if it would actually be true.


	9. Chapter 9

Dan didn't know what his problem was. He shouldn't be moping around this much over something as simple as concert tickets. To him it was a completely logical excuse to stay in his room laying down on his floor beside a perfectly fine bed but to others, such as his mum, it would be concerning. There would be more shows so missing this one wouldn't be the end of the world. He just wanted to be able to see as many shows as possible.

In all honesty, he felt like a spoiled child who didn't get what they wanted. He felt horrible for being this upset but he couldn't help it. Other fans understood what he was feeling and that's all that mattered. Anna was in the same boat as Dan and she said she was feeling the same way. At least he knew he wasn't the only one.

Dan was becoming discouraged. He had entered every contest he could find and yet he remained ticketless. He even got his mom to call into a radio station since he himself couldn't speak. He was beginning to feel like it wasn't working out for a reason or maybe it was karma for something he did when he was younger. Or the universe simply hated him and wanted him to suffer.

Vegas had become the most important thing in his life. He could always count on them to make him smile and feel something when he had those moments where he was numb. Phil's voice specifically had become a safe haven. His voice felt like home and safety and a warm hug when one needed it most. Dan considered Phil to be his angel and a more important aspect in Dan's life than he thought a lead singer in a band would ever be. Of course, thousands of people more than likely felt the same, but Phil was special to Dan.

Dan didn't know what love was but when he saw and heard Phil he felt butterflies and his heart began to beat just a little bit faster than normal. He would blush and he couldn't help but smile. That was ridiculous to think of course, he was in fact a singer and Dan was only a fan. Love wasn't a plausible thing that could happen in this scenario. He liked to be as positive as possible but it was highly unlikely that anything more than just a band-fan relationship would happen. Dan would have to stick to dreaming about the raven haired boy with the voice of an angel.

As Dan laid on the floor, he could feel tears pooling in his eyes, threatening to spill out. He shook his head, there was no way he was going to cry over not getting concert tickets. He wouldn't allow himself. Dan rubbed at his eyes furiously trying to rub away the feeling behind his eyes but only caused his eyes to water more than they were before. The tears rebelled and ran down his cheeks and dropped onto the hardwood floor below him. He felt stupid for being so emotional.

_Oh my god, Dan. Get it together. You're being so stupid._

Dan pulled himself up and sat down on the bed. Laying on the floor wasn't helping at all, he needed a distraction. But the only thing he used as a distraction was Vegas, and listening to them wasn't going to help since they were the reason he was so emotional. He didn't want to work on the essay because it was about them as well and going on social media would be consumed with them also.

Instead, he played the piano, something he hadn't done in months. He was rusty at the beginning but slowly fell into a comfortable flow of notes and harmonies. He loved playing piano, but was always too lazy and discouraged to do so. He never thought he was good enough, meanwhile he was quite good for someone who neglected it for the majority of the time.

Without realizing he began playing a song by Vegas. For something done by ear, he was quite proud of how he was doing. He realized how much he loved playing the piano and how dumb he was for ignoring it. He also realized how Vegas had once again made him fall back in love with something else. They were truly changing his life into a better one.

Dan heard a faint knock on the door before seeing his mum slowly opening it with a smile on her face.

"I haven't heard you play piano in so long."

'I was inspired.' Dan signed out with a small smile on his face.

"Was that a song by Vegas?"

'Yes.'

Her eyes softened, "You really like them don't you?"

Dan nodded softly as he looked down at the keys of the piano. The tears were threatening to spill again and he didn't need them in front of his mum.

"I know it hasn't worked out for you for contests and I know your birthday isn't for another two months but I thought I'd give you your present early." she said as she handed him an envelope.

Dan's heart began to beat quickly as he grabbed the envelope. This couldn't be what he thought it was, there was no way. He tore open the envelope as neatly as possible with his shaking hands and covered his mouth with his hand as he saw the greatest thing he could ever imagine.

In his hands he held two tickets for Vegas.

This time he allowed the tears to fall as he grabbed his mum and gave her a bone crushing hug. If he could speak he would say thank you a million times.

"I know they mean a lot to you, more than you've probably told me, so I had to get you them. I also know that you're probably thinking about the cost, but don't worry, they weren't too expensive. Nothing we can't handle at least."

His mum was the best. Plain and simple. There was nothing he could do to thank her enough. This was the best gift he could and ever would receive and he could hardly believe it.

"Now, since there are two tickets, you'll need to take someone with you. I know that Anna lives in the states, but if her parents allowed it, and it didn't break the bank, I wouldn't mind her coming here and staying for a week and going to the show with you."

Dan's mouth dropped open, as if this day couldn't get any better.

'Are you serious?!' Dan frantically signed.

"Of course I am. You never ask for anything and you've kept your grades up in school even though you procrastinate more than you should."

'I need to go ask her!' Dan signed before sliding over to his laptop and impatiently tapping his hand on the desk as Tumblr loaded.

**danisnotonfire:** ANNA I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK ANSWER ASAP

**annaisvegastrash:** THE QUEEN IS HERE WHAT IS YOUR REQUEST

**danisnotonfire:** MY SWEET GODDESS MOTHER GOT TWO TICKETS FOR VEGAS' SHOW IN LONDON AND SHE SAID YOU CAN COME AND STAY WITH ME FOR A WEEK AND COME TO THE SHOW WITH ME IF YOU WERE ALLOWED TO AND IT ISN'T TOO EXPENSIVE

**annaisvegastrash:** WAIT WHAT IH MY GKD ARE YOU SERIOUS I HAVE BEEN SAVING UO MU MKNEY FOR YEATS I CAN PROBABLY AFDIRD A OKANE TICKET JF MY PARENTS ALLOW ME TO GO

**annaisvegastrash:** I AM NOT GOING TO FIX THOSE MISTAKES BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT IM SAYING BRB IM GONNA ASK

Dan sat staring at the tickets in his hand, completely blown away that they were in fact real. He was actually going to see Vegas in person. They would be in front of him and not behind a screen.

**annaisvegastrash:** I CAN GO. I CAN ACTUALLY GO

**danisnotonfire:** ASDFGHJKL I CNAY BELJVE

**danisnotonfire:** WE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO MEET AND SEE VEGAS WHAT IS THIS LIFE HOW IS THIS HAPPENING

**annaisvegastrash:** I HAVE NO IDEA. ALL I KNOW IS THAT IM GONNA HUG THE SHIT OUT OF YOU AND YOUR MOM. WHAT A QUEEN

**danisnotonfire:** MOVE OVER QUEEN ELIZABETH WE HAVE A NEW MONARCH

Dan was officially going to meet his best friend and see the band that brought them together in the first place. Nothing could take the smile off his face and nothing could replace the happiness he felt. This was really going to happen.


	10. Chapter 10

_The seemingly endless line of fans had finally begun to move. One by one, the line shortened, bringing Dan all the more closer to meeting the people who saved him. His heart began to beat faster and his breathing deepened at the thought of what was about to happen. Dan had a notepad ready with what he wanted to say since he himself couldn't physically say it. He smiled widely at the thought that in a matter of minutes he would be able to hug the band that he had completely fallen in love with._

_Anna was beside him, chatting away about anything and everything. She was a nervous talker and didn't give people time to reply, not that Dan could anyway. He was content in just listening in an attempt to keep his mind off of what was about to happen. If he focused on it too much, he might throw up._

_Dan tried to zone out and focus on Anna's voice but it seemed to be in the distance as he catches a glance of the black hair that Dan knew could only belong to one person. He could see Phil's shoes through the crack between the photo background and floor and if he listened hard enough he could hear their muffled voices over the talking fans._

_This was actually happening. He was about to meet Vegas. They were now three fans away. Three fans and it would be his turn. He didn't know how he was going to remain conscious. The moment he turned the corner and saw them he would either break down into tears, pass out, or both._

_Two fans away. Now he didn't need to strain to hear their voices. They were clear as day. Phil laughed, causing Dan's heart to flutter and a rosy blush to creep onto his cheek._

_One fan away. The security guard gave him a polite smile that Dan tried to return without looking like he was insane. The guard motioned for Dan to move forward. His eyes widened as he saw them. The band that refused to let him give up. Vegas was literally right in front of him. Matt held out his arms for a hug. Dan stepped closer and then-_

He woke up.

Dan groaned, turned off his alarm and buried his head deeper into the pillow, harshly keeping his eyes shut and willing himself to fall back asleep so the dream could continue. Why was it that whenever he had amazing dreams, he woke up at the worst possible time? He couldn't have waited to wake up until _after_ dream Dan had met Vegas? His damn alarm was always jealous, it had to ruin everything.

He rolled out of bed, literally, and crawled towards the bathroom. Monday's really weren't his days. It didn't help that he had stayed up until 3am freaking out with Anna over the Vegas show. At least now he had something to look forward to.

Anna would be flying in to stay with Dan in exactly one week. Having her there would help Dan survive that week as well as provide another distraction. Maybe she would do his homework for him so they could have more time to actually do things. The only reason she was allowed to miss a week of school was because she was a genius who promised her parents she would do next week's work along with this week's so she didn't miss anything. Being extremely smart was evidently beneficial.

Dan did his morning routine with his best attempt in keeping his eyes from closing which would cause him to fall asleep on the cool bathroom tile. Thinking about it didn't seem too bad, it would definitely be better than school. He shuffled back into his bedroom to grab his backpack and phone before trudging downstairs and grabbing all the supplies needed for a bowl of cereal. He sat down at the table and went into his messages on Tumblr as he spooned the cereal into his mouth.

**danisnotonfire:** one week until we get to meet!

**annaisvegastrash:** ahhh I may actually cry when I see you js

**danisnotonfire:** don't worry I'll be crying too. I can't believe we're actually going to be seeing vegas how is this possible?

**annaisvegastrash:** I honestly have no idea omg it doesn't seem real at all

All Dan needed to do was limp through this one week of school before he could have what would end up being the best week of his life. Just the thought of it was enough to get him out the front door to tackle the day ahead of him.

**_*one week later*_ **

Dan had made it through the week. Today was the day Anna was coming to the UK. It was the beginning of the best week of his life. School didn't even seem like a hassle when Dan knew he would be spending time with his best friend and he'd be seeing his favourite band on Friday. Nothing was going to change the happiness he felt.

He and his mum were currently driving to the airport to pick up Anna. Dan's leg was shaking up and down in anticipation as he mouthed along to the Vegas song on the radio. His mom was a gem for allowing him to constantly play their music in the car. He's surprised she hasn't got tired of it yet, or even if she has, she hasn't mentioned it. She didn't even think it was odd that he was making friends on the Internet.

The airport came into view and Dan's smile grew. In a few minutes, he'd finally be meeting his best friend. His mum parked the car and Dan quickly clambered out of the vehicle and began bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently as he mum locked the car. They walked into the airport and Dan began searching through the crowd for Anna.

"Sweetie, her plane hasn't landed yet. We still need to wait a few minutes."

'Sorry, I'm just excited.'

"I know you are. I'm excited to meet her too. She seems like a lovely girl."

As they were talking they heard an announcement stating the flight Anna had taken had landed. She would be here any moment. Luckily he had seen pictures of her so he knew who to look for. Plus, all she had to look for was an awkwardly tall boy with an emo fringe.

He saw her. She was looking around frantically, standing on her tiptoes searching for him. It was moments like these where he wished he could speak so he could yell over to her. He shamelessly waved his arms in the arm to catch her attention which worked, he didn't even care if people were staring.

Once they made eye contact Dan broke out into a run, pushing through the crowd and earning more dirty looks. He was beyond caring, he just wanted to get to Anna. Before he knew it he was colliding into her and instantly hugging her. She did the same, burying her head into his chest while mumbling something incoherent to Dan. Tears began to roll down his cheeks but the grin on his face showed they were tears of joy.

"Wait, oh my god, I practiced this on the entire flight here." Anna exclaimed, stepping back.

'Hello. I'm so glad I have finally met you.' She signed, causing Dan to tear up even more. She had actually learned some sign language just for him. If they weren't blatantly gay, he would want to date her.

He quickly grabbed the notepad of paper and scribbled as neatly as possible, 'You learned sign language for me? You're actually the greatest person to ever exist. I'm so glad you're here!'

"Your writing is like hieroglyphics, I'm going to have to get used to it. I'm assuming you said something about sign language and how much you love me so a) you're welcome and b) I love you too, but I'm really gay so platonically only."

'My writing isn't that bad! But don't worry, guys for me only!'

"Is that your mom?"

Dan turns to see his mum squeezing through the crowd, apologizing as she went. He turned back to Anna and nodded.

"MOM!" she exclaims as she rushes over to Dan's mum, giving her a bone crushing hug.

"Daughter? How are you sweetheart? It's nice to meet the person Dan hasn't been able to stop talking about."

"I am fantastic! Thank you so so so much for letting me stay with you for the week. I'm going to be calling you mom because that's basically who you are right now. Your son is completely in love with me and he doesn't even bother to deny it."

"I might have to adopt you by the end of the week, who knows. I'm glad you're here, I don't think I've seen Dan happier than he is right now."

"I have that affect on people."

"Let's get out of the crowd, I'll treat you both to lunch somewhere."

Anna wrapped her arm around Dan's, "I love your mom already. I'm so glad I'm here and get to spend the whole week with you."

Dan was too. Even if he weren't seeing Vegas in a matter of days, this week would have been the greatest thing to happen to him simply because of Anna. His mom was right in saying this was the happiest he has ever been.


	11. Chapter 11

To say Dan was happy would be an understatement. The smile on his face was a permanent feature all week. He and Anna had been having the best time and it made him want her to live near him even more. If he could have days like these everyday he would never complain about anything. Even when he went to school, he knew if he survived the day he would be able to go home and be with Anna.

She had been staying in the house on her own when he was at school and his mum was at work. He felt bad that she was alone but she said she was fine as long as she had the wifi. Usually she would text him through classes and she even came to his school during lunch so Dan wasn't alone like he normally was.

Living wasn't a tedious task when it was filled with people who cared about you and loved you for who you are.

Dan was sitting in psychology class when he had a moment of realization. It was Wednesday. In two days, he would be seeing Vegas. He and Anna has been doing a countdown since they got the tickets but it never actually hit him until now. _Two days. Only two days._

**danisnotonfire:** I'm kind of freaking out in the middle of class because I realized we are seeing vegas in 2 days?

**annaisvegastrash:** WAIT WHAT HOW IS IT ONLY 2 DAYS

**danisnotonfire:** IDK BUT I WANNA CRY BUT I CANT

**annaisvegastrash:** YOU CAN MAKE IT. ONCE YOU'RE HOME ILL CRY WITH YOU

**danisnotonfire:** oops my teacher is giving me a look brb gotta learn about Freud for the millionth time

**annaisvegastrash:** have fun with the oedipus complex my child. I will be sitting on your bedroom floor playing crossy road until you come home

The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly and Dan was relieved when it was finally over so he could go home. He walked at a faster pace than normal just so he could get home quicker so he could spend as much time with Anna as possible. Since he only had a week with her, he needed to use all the time he was given.

He burst through the front door and literally ran up the stairs to find Anna laying on the floor while doing something on her phone.

"Hello breadstick. How was hell, I mean school?"

Dan quickly grabbed his white board and marker to write out his response. This method was easier and saved paper.

'School is school. There's nothing more to say.'

"I'm getting used to this whole no school thing. Going back is going to suck ass."

'You're good at the whole school thing though. Classes are easy for you and you actually have friends.'

"None of them actually get me though. You're the only one that does. They thought I was crazy when I said I was coming here for a week and staying with someone I met over the Internet."

'A little bit of crazy is good though.'

"That is very true. Speaking of crazy, we see Vegas in two days and yet we are extremely underprepared. We need to make a battle plan."

'A battle plan?'

"Yes. We need to prepare what we need to bring, we need to find the setlist so we know how emotional damaged we're gonna be, or we can be surprised, your choice. We also need to figure out how we're going to get the best spot possible since its general admission."

Dan hadn't even thought about it being general admission. He wanted the best spot possible, he himself was tall so wherever he was in the crowd he'd be able to see, but Anna was short, she needed the least amount of people in front of her as possible. Front row would be the absolute best choice, but unless they camped out the night before that wasn't going to happen.

'How do you feel about camping out?'

Anna smirked, "I'm down if you are. And if your mom is cool with it."

The two passed the time waiting for Dan's mum to come home from work by making a list of stuff they would need if they were to camp out, as well as singing along to Vegas, well, mouthing along to Vegas in Dan's case. Anna also did Dan's math homework since he had no interest in trigonometry at the moment. Not that he ever did.

The sound of the front door opening caught both Dan and Anna's attention. They looked at each other with a grin before bolting down the stairs to meet her.

"Oh hello, you two are fairly eager to see me."

"Why of course, why wouldn't we be?" Anna asked, adding in a touch of charm that only Dan really noticed.

"I love you both, but I also know you never come running down the stairs when I come home. What do you want?"

Dan's mum was too sharp. She said it with a smile though so it's not like she really minded. She gave Dan the freedom he asked for within reason so he was quite confident in her saying yes to camping out before the show. He was also doing pretty well in school so missing one day on Friday wouldn't be a big deal. He'd just email his teachers for the work he missed.

"Well, Dan and I were wondering, since the Vegas show is general admission, you need to be there fairly early if you want a decent spot in the crowd. To do that, camping out the night before would be the best option, but only if you were okay with it."

"Hmm, if you two are seriously okay with waiting outside and you promise to keep in touch with me, I don't have a problem with it. You're both old enough and I trust you."

Dan's mouth dropped open. That was easier than he thought it would be. As confident as he was, he still had a small amount of doubt. Most parents would have to at least be convinced.

"Can you adopt me? You're actually the best." Anna squealed as she hugged her.

"Most parents would probably call me insane for letting you go, but I understand how much this means to the both of you. Plus, getting a good spot will make it even more worth it. Now go and make sure you have everything you need. I'll start making dinner."

Anna and Dan ran back upstairs and went over the checklist they had made earlier. They went around the house making sure they had everything. They filled up a backpack with extra clothes such as sweaters in case they needed to layer up. Dan grabbed two sleeping bags along with extra blankets and a tarp since he didn't have a tent. He didn't want to set up a tent on the sidewalk anyway, the tarp would suffice if it began to rain.

Dan looked up a map of the venue and there were quite a few fast food joints around so they could easily get food, water, and have access to a bathroom. They both had portable chargers so their phones wouldn't die as well as headphones and a deck of uno to help pass the time. Dan's mum even agreed to come by an hour before the doors opened to take all the extra stuff back home. She was an actual gem and Dan knew he would have to do something to repay her for all the extra things she was doing for him and Anna.

They were both beyond excited to have the experience of camping out before the show. There could even be the chance of one of the band members coming outside to say hello. If that did happen, Dan was sure he would actually pass out.

All he needed to do was survive one more day of school. Once he came home, he and Anna would be going down to the venue and lining up. Everything was coming together and Dan wasn't able to contain his excitement.


	12. Chapter 12

Time always seemed to go slow whenever Dan was looking forward to something. He was currently sat in his last class of the day and he swears that the clock hasn't moved for at least 10 minutes. He had tried to pay attention to the lesson to try and keep his mind off of the slow passing time and how much he'd rather be on his way to the venue with Anna, but the Pythagorean theorem was the last thing Dan wanted to listen to no matter the day.

Dan's leg began to bounce impatiently as he made continuous glances at the clock to see how much more suffering he'd have to endure. _Half an hour. Only half an hour left and then you're gone._

To pass the time, Dan rewrote the checklist that he and Anna had made earlier to double check that they did in fact have everything they needed. They obviously had since they went over it five times just last night, but it did a good job in helping the time pass quickly.

Five minutes were left in class and Dan began to slowly and quietly put his stuff away. He was hoping the teacher didn't notice because he didn't need the 'the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do' lecture.

Dan swore he heard angels sing when the bell finally rung. He quickly swung his backpack over his shoulder and basically ran out of the classroom to his locker. He swapped what he didn't need with what he needed, slammed the door closed, and continued his run out the front door. He slowed down to a fast walk to avoid the curious glances until he knew it was safe to run again.

Just the fact that he was _running_ because of a band was enough to make him realize how obsessed he actually was.

Soon he was bursting through his front door and bounding up the stairs to see Anna sitting on the bedroom floor with the two backpacks they had their stuff in. Anyone that didn't know they were going to a show would think that they were having an overnight camping trip. That technically was the case, except for the fact that they would be surrounded by buildings and sleeping on pavement rather than being surrounded by trees and sleeping on grass and dirt.

"Ready to go soldier?" Anna asked in a mock deep voice while raising her arm in a salute.

Dan mimicked her action and nodded his head. He was ready to go (get me out of my mind) the moment he had got the tickets.

They went downstairs and waited by the door for Dan's mum to come home so they could leave. Those 10 minutes were the longest 10 minutes in Dan's life. More proof for his time theory that he didn't need. He just wanted to leave and be at the venue.

Finally, his mum opened the door and beckoned them outside to get into the car. Both Anna and Dan were grinning as if they were little kids who knew they going to Disneyland. Dan had a feeling that Disneyland would no longer be the happiest place in the world once he was in the venue with Vegas on the stage.

Dan's mum allowed them to play Vegas as loud as they wanted with the windows rolled down. The moment felt like one right out of a movie. The wind blew in Dan's hair and he smiled up at the sun warming his skin. He and Anna sang along to song the currently playing as each mile driven led them closer to the best time of their lives.

**_"Even God don't know where we're goin', and I sure as hell don't care. 'Cause if you and I could stay this high with heaven in our headlights, I swear that we can make it anywhere."_ **

Before they both knew it, they had arrived at the venue and to their relief there wasn't anyone lined up. They would be the first two, giving them the best spot in the venue.

"Okay, so remember to eat and to stay hydrated, use sunscreen if you need to. Call me if there are any problems and I'll be back an hour before you go in to take your backpacks so you don't need to worry about them."

'Thanks mum, you're the best!' Dan signed before leaning over the centre console to hug her.

"You're amazing. Seriously, you can adopt me." Anna said as she also moved to hug Dan's mum.

"You two deserve it. Now get out there before someone else shows up and takes the front."

Dan and Anna frantically grabbed their bags and ran towards the venue. They hoped and prayed that no one wold come to say they weren't allowed to line up. They both agreed that they'd have to be dragged out kicking and screaming before they left their spot in line.

Their plan was to have one person in line at all times so others wouldn't take their spot. Fangirls could be vicious, and Dan and Anna refused to fall victim to their ability to do anything it took to get the best possible chance of being noticed.

If nothing bad happened between now and the time of the show, Dan and Anna would be front and centre and that made them very happy.

They set up their sleeping bags so they had something comfy to sit on, they found where they would get food and where the bathrooms were, they sung along to Vegas, and once more people lined up behind them, they made friends.

By evening, there was a group of twelve that were planning on camping out. Dan assumed more people would arrive in the early morning hours and then the line would progressively grow as the next day passed.

All he knew for now was that he was happy and felt safe even though he was literally sleeping on a sidewalk in London. Maybe it was the group of people he was with, or maybe it was the idea that this time tomorrow night he would be in the presence of his favourite band.

-

Phil was surprised that people had already begun to line up for the show tomorrow. It was mind blowing to him that people would camp out a night early just to have front row seats for their show. _I should go out there and say hello, I'm sure they'd appreciate it._ He bit his lip while contemplating whether or not to go out. It was a small group, no more than twelve people, so it wouldn't cause any mayhem.

"Phil? We gotta do one of those tour update things, you coming?" Matt asked as he stuck his head in the doorway.

 _Dammit, bad timing Matt._ "Yeah, I'll be there in a second."

He glanced back at the people waiting in line. If there was still a small crowd after he had done the tour update, he would go out. But, whether he did or not, he paid close attention to their faces since he'd more than likely see them front and centre during the show. Especially the girl and the boy who were right in the front.


	13. Chapter 13

Today was the day. The moment that Dan had been waiting for, but also the moment he thought would never happen, had come and he could hardly believe it. He had surprisingly slept well for someone sleeping on the sidewalk and being anxious for the show to happen. In a few hours, he would be in the same room as Vegas. In a few hours, his dream would become a reality.

Anna woke up with a groan, "Oh my god, my back hates me right now. We should have bought an air mattress. instead of just using sleeping bags."

Dan grabbed the whiteboard that they had been using the talk to Anna as well as the other fans waiting in line, 'We'll have to invest in one next time. Can you believe we're seeing Vegas in like 8 hours? What even is life?'

"I may actually lose my mind. We're going to be front row, like, they're gonna be right there."

'Be prepared to see me cry. Once they walk out I will actually collapse right then and there.'

"I'll get Phil to give you CPR, don't you worry."

Dan blushed as he smacked Anna on the arm. She bursted out laughing and Dan couldn't help but smile. He would honestly find a way to stop breathing just so Phil could give him CPR, but on the other hand, he'd much rather be conscious to experience it. The things he would do to that man if he had the chance. Fanfiction had brought his mind to the dark side, but it wasn't like he minded. It wasn't like anything he read or thought about would actually happen in the first place. He may love Phil, but it would never be anything but a singer-fan relationship. It was in the stars that boys like him would never be with boys like Phil.

"I'm going to go grab some breakfast, guard my spot with your life."

'I will actually fight anyone that even thinks about it.' Which was the truth. Nobody was going to get in his and Anna's way from getting the best spot possible in the venue. Nobody was taking their dream away. He was going to be as close to Phil Lester as possible and if that meant killing someone, he would. Okay, not actually, because a) he'd go to jail and never see Vegas again, and b) it wasn't like he had any muscle so what was he going to do? Poke someone to death?

Dan pulled out his phone so he could text his mum that he had made it through the night without any casualties. She responded almost immediately despite her being at work and reminded him that she would come by the venue at 5 to pick up everything unnecessary for the show, which was basically everything except for his cellphone and money for merch. He had more money than he thought he would for merch considering him being a high school student without a job. He was just good at saving up birthday money for necessities, and band merch was definitely a necessity. Despite him being good at saving money, now that he was in a fandom, he could already notice himself spending more money.

Anna returned holding two breakfast sandwiches, muffins, and cups of coffee, and Dan could feel and hear his stomach rumble simply at the sight of the food. He didn't realize how hungry he actually was until now. He took the food with a smile as Anna sat down onto her sleeping bag. They both dug into their food, which tasted like heaven, as they watched the streets of London become increasingly busier as the morning rush hour reached it's peak.

More fans joined the line, who looked slightly disappointed that they didn't have the front despite what they thought was an early arrival. They quickly warmed up to what Dan and Anna called the original crowd however and they all began to talk about how excited they were for Vegas. He may be biased in saying it, but he believed the two people who were most excited were himself and Anna. Dan was sure everyone in line dedicated countless hours towards Vegas since they decided to line up early, but he was allowed to be selfish sometimes.

Meanwhile, Phil was standing on the stage doing soundcheck. He had wanted to go out to visit the people in line but by the time he was finally free to do so, the line had doubled. He had been told it would be "unwise" in case the group suddenly tripled and got out of hand. Phil thought that was ridiculous, it wasn't like he was the singer in a band who had millions of fans that could start riots just at a glance of a band member. He didn't want to argue though so he just shut his mouth and nodded in agreement, he would see them front and centre anyway.

There were 6 hours left until show time and Phil felt oddly nervous for it. It was the biggest venue they've played so far, and Phil felt a pressure to do his best. Though, the fans would more than likely enjoy it anyway. He had received tweets before saying fans would be happy just listening to him read out the phonebook for two hours.

He was extremely curious to find out how much the line had grown since he last checked earlier that morning so after soundcheck he went to the window that showed the line without him being seen. His mouth dropped open at the size, he couldn't see where it ended. The fact that the line was already passed what he was able to see still six hours before the show made him feel overjoyed but terrified as well. So many people were here to see his band perform because they loved them, but it also meant there were more people to impress.

What if he wasn't good enough tonight? What if all these people had high expectations and left with them not being satisfied? The majority of the fanbase had called him perfect when in reality he was far from it. He made mistakes and dumb decisions all the time, he messed up lyrics, he messed up chords, he tripped on stage far too often. He was scared that when people actually saw him in person, they would realize he wasn't actually porcelain and they would end up being disappointed.

He was sure this was only the pre show nerves talking. What he needed to do was calm down and just go out there and do what he did every night. He needed to stop overthinking and just go. Phil was there to play music and that's the one thing he knew he could do, perfectly or not. Obviously if this many people were here for a show he had to have done something right.

The day passed quite quickly and before anyone knew it there was only half an hour before doors opened. Dan's mum had already come to take the extras and the nerves had become more prominent. Anna was talking rapidly about how she was going to lose her mind and Dan was trying not to throw up. He was too anxious for the waiting, he just wanted to go in.

He focused on what Anna was rambling about to try and ignore the feeling in his throat and to help pass the time. It worked thankfully and soon after a security guard as well as an employee holding the ticket scanner opened the venue doors. Dan handed the woman his ticket as the guard searched him. He let out a sigh of relief at the beeping from the scanner, he was slightly scared the tickets were fake and he had gotten excited for nothing.

Anna followed behind him and Dan grabbed her hand as they sprinted to the front of the floor. He slowed down before slamming into the barricade and was ready to cry tears of joy at how wonderful their spot was. Front row centre was where he was born to be. To think the actual Phil Lester would be this close to him made him smile wide. He was going to be real and in front of him. Life was so good.

Vegas didn't have an opening act which Dan felt bad for being thankful for, he didn't want to be rude, he just wanted to see the band he came to see. The venue was packed at this point and the constant buzz of talking was oddly calming to Dan. It was nice to think that this many people shared the same common interest, it made him think he was in a room full of his friends rather than strangers.

Suddenly the house lights turned off, encasing the room is darkness and the buzz of conversation erupted into screaming. He grabbed onto Anna's arm; this was it.

Four spotlights focused on the stage as the four men walked out causing the screaming to grow louder. Dan covered his mouth with his hand as the first of many tears fell from his eyes. There he was. Phil Lester was in front of him. Dan's entire world was just out of arms reach and he couldn't believe it.

The pictures and videos of him didn't do him justice, he was 100x more beautiful in person. His smile was absolutely radiant as he waved to the crowd. Everything about him was perfect and Dan's mind was clear of everything but him. All the nerves had disappeared and he felt nothing but happiness and safety.

Dan realized that this was too where he could be himself and let go of everything that bothered him as the opening song began. Phil's voice seemed to settle within him and he could feel the bass in his chest.

The crowd sang along to every word and moved to every beat. They screamed during upbeat songs and created technological constellations with their phones during slow songs. This, Dan decided, was what home was. This band was family.

Dan mouthed along to every word, wishing he was able to actually audibly sing to add to the chorus of people. He moved with the crowd often closing his eyes simply to get lost in the music. Nothing mattered except for this moment.

"How is everyone tonight? Are you having a good time?" Phil asked with a smile as the crowd screamed in reply.

"This next song is one that I wrote about music. About how music can be that sense of calm during a bad day and can be used as an escape. There have been many times where all I've needed to do is put on a pair of headphones and just block out the world for a little while, and I'm sure a good majority of you have felt that way too. So, it would mean a lot to me if you all sang along extra loud with me, can you do that? This song is called 'Headphones.'"

This was Dan's favourite song and he was ready to put all of his energy into singing it. It was the song that made him feel like he had a voice, the one where music was what helped him along.

 ** _Classroom-phobic, I need a moment for me and myself_  
_I'm feelin' this mixtape, fixin' my headache, shut the world out_  
  
_Yeah, I got problems but I got melodies to solve them_  
_I'm coming up from the bottom, smoke 'em if you got 'em_  
  
_When the world gets loud, I get louder_  
** **_I put my headphones on and go_**

Dan was going crazy, along with the rest of the crowd. There were such positive vibes going on and Dan never wanted the song to end. Anna was screaming the lyrics beside him and he couldn't keep the smile off of his face. 

That was when it happened.

Phil had crouched down slightly and was reaching his hand out to Dan. He stood there in shock not knowing what to do. His entire world was trying to reach for him and Dan felt as if he were in a daze. If it weren't for Anna nudging him in the ribs, he probably would have stared at Phil's hand forever. He tentatively reached out to meet Phil's hand and the butterflies erupted in his stomach as they made contact. Phil's hand tightened around his own and looked into his eyes as he continued to sing. Dan mouthed along to the lyrics as he attempted to keep the tears from falling, he didn't want Phil to think he was that obsessed that he would actually cry just from having his hand held. 

Meanwhile, his mind was a different story. _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Phil fucking Lester is holding my hand and my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest, holy shit his hands feel so nice, he's so beautiful, how is he even real?!_

Then, Phil tugged on Dan's hand in an attempt to get him closer. A security guard came over and helped him over the barricade and before Dan could even process it, he was on stage with his favourite band. He was looking out onto the crowd like they would and he could see Anna crying happily and smiling at him from the other side of the barricade. Phil was still singing and looking at Dan and Dan continued to mouth along to the lyrics. Phil moved the microphone over to him.

_Oh no._

Phil looked slightly confused as Dan stared at the microphone. He had expected Dan to sing, but he was completely unaware that Dan _couldn't_ sing.

_Well, this is awkward._

Phil looked as if he were panicking and some people in the crowd looked confused. Dan had to do something, so he did the only thing he knew how to do. He began to sign out the lyrics. 

Phil's eyes widened as the puzzle pieces began to fit together. He smiled and continued to sing along to the song as Dan signed it out. The crowd began to understand as well and they began to cheer louder than they were before. Dan smiled widely at what was happening. Though he couldn't audibly speak, he was still singing along on stage with Vegas. This was something that only happened in his dreams and yet it was happening in real life. He never imagined this would happen, he was still in shock.

The song came to end and the crowd cheered. Phil and the other band members clapped and Dan took a bow. That was without a doubt the best moment in Dan's life and he was positive that if he died on the spot, he would be content with the life he lived. Phil grabbed his hand once again and pulled him to the side of the stage. 

"I'm so so so sorry if I made you uncomfortable! If I knew you were mute I never would have tried to make you sing."

Dan shook his head and motioned for something to write on. Phil looked around frantically and found a crew member who had a pen and grabbed the setlist. He handed it to dan who wrote out, 'Don't worry about it! Awkward or not, it was the best moment in my life. You're an actual gem.'

Phil smiled, "I need to get back out there, but we always meet fans who wait outside the tour buses after the show, will you be there? We could talk more and I can meet your friend too."

'I'll be there.'

"Awesome, I'll see you then." 

Phil pulled Dan into a hug and signalled for a security guard to help dan back over the barricade. He was met with an immediate hug from Anna, "I can't believe that just happened, oh my god, I am so happy for you!"

Dan couldn't believe it had happened either. He had hugged and held Phil Lester's hand. He had been on stage with Vegas. This was the best day in Dan's life and he doubted that any day after this one would beat it. 

Life was good and Dan was happy.


	14. Chapter 14

The show had ended and Dan was exhausted but still running on adrenaline. He and Anna were waiting at the barricade for the venue to slowly file out. He really hoped there wouldn't be too many people waiting by the tour buses so they would have a decent amount of time. Anna was bouncing on the balls of her feet due to the excitement at the idea of meeting Vegas.

Dan had texted his mum saying they'd be staying later to meet them and she was surprisingly all for it. She had settled in a cafe and was enjoying a latte which was something she didn't get to do too often. He hadn't told her about being pulled on stage, that was a story to be told in person.

"I need to ask. How did Phil's hand feel? Was it soft or rough? Both?"

Dan began to blush for the millionth time that day as he thought about it. Though Phil's hand was calloused from playing guitar and what Dan assumed as generic tour life, it had a softness to it. Maybe it was just because Phil seemed soft to Dan in general.

'Both.'

The venue had finally cleared out and Dan and Anna made their way over to the tour buses. A group of ten were waiting and the majority of that group were the originals who waited in line the night before. To think that the fans that waited for hours were going to meet Vegas made him very happy.

"Oh my gosh! You were the one who got brought up on stage right?! You are so lucky!"

Dan smiled at them because it was the only thing he could really do. He could have written out a thank you, but he selfishly wanted to keep the rest of the paper he had to talk to Vegas. Anna began to talk to them and Dan listened as best he could while half of his attention was focused on the fact that what happened had actually happened.

He had pinched himself about ten times to try and wake himself up from the dream but also hoped it didn't work, which it didn't thankfully. All he knew was that he was happy and Anna was happy and from what he could see, everyone else was happy too.

Dan's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened as the door to the venue opened but he deflated when he noticed it was only a security guard. He assumed he was there to keep the small crowd controlled as Vegas came out to meet people.

"Guys? Could I get your attention please?" The guard asked, leading everyone to fall silent.

"Thank you. So, Vegas is going to be coming out shortly. It would be appreciated if you were all respectful so you all have the most time with the band as possible and have everything go smoothly."

The crowd clapped and cheered after he was done speaking and Vegas came out about 5 minutes later. Dan instantly smiled at the sight of them and Anna was jumping up and down while waving which just made him smile more. He forgot how much easier it was to see just by being tall.

Phil, Matt, Henry, and Adam all waved at the crowd and began talking to people at the front of the group. Dan and Anna were at the back which was annoying until Dan noticed that if they were the last people, they would be able to talk to the band without worrying about them moving onto someone else. They could have as long as the band wanted to stay.

Anna and him waited it out and watched everyone have their dream come true. It made Dan feel emotional, just the fact that they took the extra time to meet whoever waited for them after the show was enough to make him realize how much he actually appreciated them.

"Oh my god we're the next people!" Anna exclaimed while hitting Dan in the arm repeatedly.

Dan smirked, Anna got excited so easily, even when she was nervous. "I don't know what to say, oh my god, I've been waiting for this moment and now I don't know what to say."

Henry and Adam came over as Phil and Matt were finishing talking to the fan before them. "Hey guys!"

"Wow hi! Can I hug you?!" Anna asked as she was already moving in the hug.

Dan knew she would be just fine.

Speaking for himself however, Phil looked over at him and smiled and he felt like he was going to pass out. He was feeling lightheaded and his skin was heating up. He came over, saying something that he didn't hear, as he pulled him into a hug. Was this how normal band members acted with fans? Probably, but Dan felt special in the moment.

"I'm glad I was able to properly meet you. Again, I'm so sorry if I made it awkward by bringing you on stage."

'It only would have been awkward if I didn't know how to do sigh language.'

"Gosh it's hard to read, it's so dark. Hold on." Phil grabbed his phone, turning on the flashlight, "That's better. It was kind of amazing seeing someone do sign language along to one of our songs."

'It was my favourite one so it was easy to follow along. You guys are really inspirational to me.'

"You're inspirational to me honestly. Most people would just let something like not being to talk drag them down, but you don't let it."

'It used to. Your music helped with that.'

"Wow, thank you. That means a lot."

'Thank you.'

"It's incredible to me to think that our music has helped people. I'm glad it helped you."

Dan wanted to kiss Phil right in that moment, which he obviously wouldn't do since he barely even knew him and would more than likely scare him off.

He spent around 10 minutes talking to Phil, as well as the rest of the band, before it was time for them to leave. Dan really didn't want them to go because the chances of him ever seeing them again was slim to none, but he also understood that they had another show tomorrow night. He could only be selfish for so long.

"It was really nice to meet you. I'm not just saying that because I'm a band member, I promise. I hope you had a good night." Phil said, pulling Dan in for yet another hug.

'It was an honour to meet you. You've made this the best night of my life.'

Phil smiled and waved goodbye as he stepped onto the tour bus, tripping on the step but stabling himself before he fell. He grinned and shrugged before disappearing on the bus. Dan and Anna walked out of the lot to find the cafe that Dan's mum was waiting in.

This truly had been the best night of Dan's life and he already missed it.


	15. Chapter 15

Dan never thought post concert depression was a thing until now. All he wanted was to go back to last night because it truly had been the best night in his entire existence and now it was over. He had been counting down and suddenly his countdown was in the negatives. It was weird to think he had been the happiest he had ever been and now it felt like he would never be happy again. But, he always did have a flare for the dramatic.

Anna was experiencing the same thing so he didn't feel guilty in being mopey after having a blast last night. Both of them were unable to fall asleep after all the excitement and they stayed up watching the videos they had taken until they passed out at 5am. They both woke up at noon and had made pancakes. Now they were sitting on Dan's bed switching between concert videos and interviews they had both watched enough times to almost have them memorized.

All he could think about was the feeling of the bass in his chest and how despite not being able to speak, he felt like he had never been louder. The crowd weren't strangers, they were friends, family even. He actually fit in last night and the thought of going back to school and being the outcast once again terrified him.

He couldn't get Phil out of his head either. The way his hand fit perfectly in his own and when their eyes met all of Dan's insecurities seemed to completely disappear. Phil Lester had a way of making Dan feel beautiful without doing anything except existing.

His voice was forever engrained in his mind and he would be completely content in having his voice be the only voice he ever heard for the rest of his life. To be able to be the reason Phil smiled on a daily basis and the reason he wanted to wake up in the morning.

Dan Howell had fallen inconveniently in love with Phil Lester.

But that seemed too illogical to Dan because love wasn't something that just happened when a band member pulled you up on stage and gave you the attention everyone in the room was dying to receive.

But love also wasn't constricted into one form. It was laid out along a long spectrum of different forms and Dan had definitely landed on a specific form, whatever it may be.

All he knew was that he was in love with a band member that more than likely had already forgotten about him. A band member that saw him as nothing more than just a fan who maybe loved him a little too much. A band member who would never look at Dan the way Dan looked at him.

Phil would always be more than just some guy in a band to Dan because Phil was without a doubt the reason Dan was still here. Dan wasn't completely sure of that fact until last night. Their music had helped him survive through the short months he had known of them and it would continue to do so until the day he died. Nothing he could say would ever explain how much Vegas had truly helped him.

It was something that Dan was sure you didn't understand until it happened to you. Dan would seem obsessive to others but to him it made sense. He had put so much faith into this one band and many people just _wouldn't get it._ They wouldn't get it because they didn't understand how much one bands lyrics could give Dan so much comfort and hope and how the funny things they did could make him smile whenever he had a shit day.

This band had saved Dan's life and nothing he could say or do would ever express how grateful he truly was.

Meanwhile, Phil was trying to concentrate on soundcheck in another city but his mind was still stuck in London. Specifically, his mind was stuck on the mute boy who seemed to speak louder than anyone Phil had ever known.

He didn't know why he was unable to stop thinking about him. He had met thousands of fans at this point but none had ever stuck out as much as he had and he didn't even ask for his name. All he had was his face stuck in his head and his smile that could light up any room he was in and his eyes that said more words than he could ever write down.

Phil had never felt this way before and he couldn't shake the feeling away. He felt so stupid for being so hung up on someone he had spent less than an hour with. Love at first sight wasn't something Phil believed in so he assumed it was simply just an infatuation with someone who was extremely attractive.

But it still seemed to be more than that. He didn't know why but he couldn't keep his eyes off of him throughout the show. No matter where he looked in the crowd, his eyes always ended up falling onto him. Something about him made him stand out in the sea of people and it wasn't just because he had front row. A few times it felt like just Phil on the stage and just the nameless boy in the crowd.

Something made him feel the need to reach out and grab his hand. Something made him pull him up onto stage. Something drew him into the brightest star he had ever seen.

All Phil knew was that he would more than likely never see the boy again. Even if he did go to another show the chance of him being front row again was slim.

He needed to see this boy again because for the first time in Phil's life, he suddenly knew who his songs were about.


	16. Chapter 16

It had almost been a week since the Vegas show and Dan was feeling some type of way. Anna had gone back home, too many miles away for Dan's liking. Talking on the internet just wasn't the same once he had talked to her for a week in person. He was back to his normal school routine as well. Waking up at unjust hours in the morning just to spend time at school trying to learn and being ignored by literally everyone only to come home to homework. To make matters worse, he had fallen even more in love with Vegas which didn't help with his school situation but made it bearable all at the same time.

Life was just inconvenient and Dan was on a rollercoaster of feelings that he couldn't get off of.

He'd feel negative feelings for the majority of the day that would only go away with anything related to Vegas. But then he would miss them which sent him down a spiral of more emotions. Literally everything he did made him feel a little sad but he was happy at the same time.

It was complicated, but Dan expected nothing less.

Dan decided to focus on the positives. Instead of focusing on the amount of work he'd have to do for exams, he focused on how he only had one month left of high school. Instead of focusing on the kids at school that pretended he didn't exist, he focused on how in one month he would more than likely never see any of them again. Instead of focusing on how much he missed Vegas, he focused on how amazing that night truly was and how they would be coming back. You had to go away if you wanted to come back after all.

Dan was trying to focus on his English homework, but Hamlet really wasn't what he wanted to focus on. He was trying to get himself to do homework right as he got home so he could have the remainder of the evening dedicated to Vegas. His succession rate was quite low, but he was trying. He even kept his phone and laptop on the opposite side of the room until he was done but he usually found every excuse to grab them and go on Twitter instead.

Homework that required going on the Internet was so stupid in Dan's opinion. When he went on the Internet he did the exact opposite of homework. He didn't understand how his teachers expected him to not get distracted.

Okay Dan. Just go on Sparknotes for the gist of the chapters, copy down some notes, and then you're done. Simple.

But then he opened a tab for Twitter. Then a tab for Tumblr. Then one for YouTube. And finally one for the fanfiction he was reading. Four tabs and none of them were Sparknotes.

Dan looked at the time and decided at 5:00 he would do his English. He deserved a break, taking out his books was a lot of work after all.

He switched between the tabs and soon enough is was 5:05. Oh no, guess I'll have to wait until 6:00 now. How unfortunate.

This went on until it was 9:00.

Dan this is why you end up staying up until 3am every single night. Just get your damn homework done. It will take 10 minutes max.

As Dan was finally about to make an effort by closing the tabs, he got a notification on his phone that almost gave him a heart attack.

**_@AmazingPhil is now following you!_ **

Dan's jaw dropped, his eyes bulged, he was in shock. He clicked on the notification and was even more shocked to see it take him to Phil's actual Twitter. It wasn't a fake account. The real Phil Lester had followed him on Twitter without Dan actually trying to get his follow.

His phone got another notification and Dan was ready to fall to the ground. Phil had sent him a dm? He was scared to open it because he was afraid this actually wasn't real. He pinched himself just to make sure but he remained in his bedroom staring at the notification bubble.

Dan slowly brought his cursor over to the dms and clicked.

**AmazingPhil:** this is going to be extremely awkward if I'm wrong but you're the fan that I brought up on stage in London and did the sign language, right?

**danisnotonfire:** yeah that's me you found the right person

He hit send without thinking and wanted to slap himself for sending something so plain. Then again, there wasn't much else to say.

**AmazingPhil:** oh thank goodness I've been trying to find you but there are so many accounts and I didn't even ask for your name that night so I couldn't even narrow it down but hi!

Dan leaned back in his chair and tried to process what Phil had sent. First, he actually remembered him despite the other shows and other fans he had met since then. Second, he had been trying to find his account. Third, he seemed to be wanting to have a conversation for whatever insane reason. This was more unbelievable than getting pulled up on stage.

**danisnotonfire:** please don't take this the wrong way because this is actually awesome but why were you trying to find me on twitter?

**AmazingPhil:** honestly I'm not too sure myself. you seemed like an interesting person to talk to I guess?

Phil Lester was interested in talking to Dan and Dan was trying his hardest not to have some type of fangirl fit. This had to be a dream.

**danisnotonfire:** okay hold up. I'm gonna try and be as normal as possible but I'm still a huge fan so this is kind of unreal right now? I mean this is something that doesn't happen irl

**AmazingPhil:** I guess I just made it irl. it's real. I'm talking to you and you're talking to me :)

_He used a fucking smiley face literally hold me back he's too cute. Thank the heavens he isn't here right now or he'd think I was crazy._

**danisnotonfire:** honestly though this is every fans dream x 1000. it's kind of crazy how you actually took the time to find me of all people on twitter to talk to. trust me I'm not that interesting

**AmazingPhil:** I think differently. you seem extremely interesting to me

**danisnotonfire:** you barely even know me though

_Oh god. You're letting your insecurities take over. You probably scared him off now._

But Phil did the complete opposite.

**AmazingPhil:** tell me something about you then!

**danisnotonfire:** ummm like what?

**AmazingPhil:** anything? maybe everything. or just something. your choice

**danisnotonfire:** okay then. well I'm 18 and only have a month left of high school and I should be making notes on Hamlet right now but the Internet is distracting me

**AmazingPhil:** oh no I won't distract you then!

**danisnotonfire:** NO

**danisnotonfire:** I mean

**danisnotonfire:** I'd much rather be talking to you anyway. it won't take me long to actually do the homework so it's fine

**AmazingPhil:** are you sure?

**danisnotonfire:** I'm sure :)

Needless to say, Dan never actually ended up finishing his homework.


	17. Chapter 17

Vegas waved to the crowd of their final show on their tour. It had been a short tour but the fact that it was already over was insane to them. It seemed like they had only finished their first show and now it was the last.

The four band members walked off the stage, sweaty and breathless, and into their dressing room. Phil immediately collapsed onto the leather couch and let out a sigh. As much as he loved touring and playing music almost every night, he was glad he would have some off time to just relax and do some songwriting in a non chaotic environment.

Being able to have a solid sleeping schedule was what Phil was looking forward to most. He would still end up staying up late but at least he would be able to sleep in and not have to wake up for any interviews or other band responsibilities. He was also looking forward to food that wasn't provided by catering.

He was going to miss his band mates though. They would all be going home to visit family while Phil was staying in London. He had rented a flat there just recently and it hadn't been lived in much since he moved in. Phil was very excited to have a non moving bed to sleep on that didn't wake him up every time it went over a bump on the road.

He pulled out his phone and logged onto twitter.

**@AmazingPhil: GEEEZZZ all of you that came to this tour blew me away! love each and every one of you. see you soon!**

Phil scrolled through the replies and couldn't help but smile at everyone who said they enjoyed the show they went to and how they wanted them to come back as soon as possible.

He had met so many amazing fans during this tour and he was so grateful for each and every one of them. Phil was told so many stories about how their music had helped fans and it's all he could have ever asked for. As someone who also used music to help him through things, it meant a lot to be able to provide the music as well.

Despite all the fans he had met, he still couldn't get that special one out of his head. He had found out his name was Dan and he actually had a nice conversation with him over twitter. They had been talking for almost over a week at this point and Phil was still unsure of the reason why he felt the need to talk to Dan as much as he had been. He didn't even talk to his few childhood friends this much.

Phil related to Dan. He was exactly who Phil had been during high school four years ago. He was still the same, but the only difference from then to now was that he was actually doing something with his life that he was proud of. Other than that, he was still a boy who enjoyed listening to music for hours and obsessing over his own favourite bands.

There was also the blatant fact that Dan was extremely attractive which added onto Phil wanting to get to know him more. That could prove to be complicated since Phil wasn't openly gay, and now that he was gaining more attention in the media, it would become a bigger deal. One that he wasn't ready to face just yet. That didn't mean he would stop talking to Dan though.

-

Dan was floating on Cloud 9. The fact that he had been talking to Phil for a week as if they had been friends since birth completely blocked out the stress of final exams. He still couldn't believe Phil had tweeted him that first time and now he had found him on Twitter and was having full conversations with him was too good to be true. He typed out normal answers but was screaming internally with every message sent.

He still smiles at Anna's reaction when he sent her the screenshots of the conversation.

annaisvegastrash: okay how did you get so good at photoshop?

danisnotonfire: it isn't. go look at my most recent follower

annaisvegastrash: NO WAY

YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT PHIL LESTER IS ACTUALLY TALKING TO YOU THROUGH DMS

HE LOVES YOU DAN HOWELL

danisnotonfire: IM FREAKING OUT BUT yeah okay he's just nice

annaisvegastrash: ARE YOU KIDDING HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW JUST HAVE THEIR FAVE FIND THEM ON TWITTER AND START A CONVERSATION

danisnotonfire: okay I guess but still HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT FREAK HIM OUT BECAUSE I READ EVERY MESSAGE TEN TIMES TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T SOUND CRINGEY AND HAS NO SPELLING MISTAKES

annaisvegastrash: KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING BECAUSE IF I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS A BAND MEMBER I WOULD THINK THAT WAS A CONVO BETWEEN TWO FRIENDS

danisnotonfire: I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THIS FACADE I SWEAT UNCONTROLLABLY EVERY TIME HE SENDS A MESSAGE MY TYPING SOUNDS LIKE NORMAL BOY BUT MY BRAIN IS SCREAMING OBSESSIVE FAN

annaisvegastrash: trust me dan you're doing fine just keep being you! that sounds so lame but seriously don't overthink it and be someone you're not :)

He had followed Anna's advice and it had been working out as far as he could tell. Phil had continued to talk to him and they did so whenever they could. Dan had simply been a fan listening to Vegas' music in his room and he had suddenly become someone that was talking to the lead singer on a daily basis. It seemed like something that only happened in fanfictions. (call me deadpool because I'm breaking the fourth wall ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

Speaking of Phil, Dan smiles as he sees a notification from him. Despite all of the messages he's gotten, his heart never fails to race.

AmazingPhil: I can't believe this tour is over already

danisnotonfire: time went by so quickly. it was an amazing tour btw definitely one of the best shows I've seen

AmazingPhil: awe thank you! you're being too nice

danisnotonfire: just being honest. you can ask anyone and they'll say the same thing

AmazingPhil: you live in London right? (I ask that in the least creepiest way possible I promise)

danisnotonfire: yes I do, why'd you ask?

AmazingPhil: well the band is on break for a while now and I have a flat in London so I'll be staying there... if it isn't too forward or weird maybe we could hang out sometime?

Dan's mouth fell open as he stared at the question. There was no way this was actually happening. It was impossible that the Phil Lester had just asked to hang out with him.

AmazingPhil: it was just a thought since we've been talking for a bit but I completely understand if you think it's weird

danisnotonfire: no I'd love to! as long you're not catfishing me

AmazingPhil: I promise I'm not. you seem like a really cool person to chill with

danisnotonfire: "cool" isn't an adjective I'd use for me but I'll let you be the judge of that

Dan took a screenshot and immediately sent it to Anna and waited.

annaisvegastrash: NO DUCKING AY OB MY GOD YOU ARE IN DAN YOU ARE SET YOU DONT NEED ANYTHING EKSE IN LOFE I AM SO HEALOUS OF YOU BUT SO HAOOY OH M GOD IM GOING TO ORINT THIS OFF AND PUT IT ON MY WALL

And just that one message reminded him why Anna was his best friend.


	18. Chapter 18

There was something missing in Phil's flat. He had all his furniture and appliances as well as some decor, but it still seemed empty. It was lacking something that made it feel like home and it took Phil awhile to figure out what it was.

His flat was missing houseplants.

Phil always had at least one plant in his room back at home, but ever since he was constantly on the road, it became harder to actually care for something. Especially since he was living on a moving vehicle and didn't want to carry plants into hotel rooms. Now that he had somewhere to call home, he needed a plant as soon as possible.

He put on his shoes, stuffed his wallet in his back pocket, and headed out the door down to the bottom floor. Once he exited the building he was bombarded with the London summer heat. He squinted from the sunlight and he almost regretted going outside until he remembered he was doing this for the sake of his houseplants.

Phil walked along the sidewalk (I know it's called 'pavement' in the uk but I'm Canadian so deal with it) and browsed the windows of the various shops. He was surprised to come across a farmers market as he was walking aimlessly and a vender had a variety of plants that caught Phil's eye. He just wished he could take all of them home with him.

Dan was at the same farmers market, completely unaware of who was only a few feet away from him. He didn't want to go but his mum had dragged him along and after all she had done for him with the Vegas concert and allowing Anna to stay for a week, he couldn't complain or say no. The one thing he never did was take his mum for granted. It was bad enough that he could barely see his dad so he needed to appreciate the family he could see.

He followed his mum as she went to the various venders and looked around himself but never paid full attention to anything. That is until he saw the unmistakable raven haired blue eyed boy he was in love with. Out of all the places to see each other, maybe coming along was one of the better decisions he had made in his lifetime.

Instead of going up to Phil however, he decided it would be better to stay out of sight, which didn't work out very well for someone as tall as he was. He pulled out his phone to fix his fringe and he realized his hair was curling slightly due to the mugginess and heat. It wasn't too bad, only noticeable to him because he knew it was there. He also looked quite sweaty but so did everyone else in the crowd. He needed to stop being so insecure over something so trivial that no one would care about.

"Dan, what are you doing?" His mum asked, "You look like you're hiding from someone."

Well, she wasn't wrong. 'I am.'

"Who?"

Dan blushed and pointed to where Phil was towering over the crowd. She looked over and quickly looked back at Dan, "Is that who I think it is?"

He nodded his head, 'I look so gross though.'

His mum's eyes narrowed, "You're going over there or I'll drag you over myself and I'm positive that you don't want that happening."

'You wouldn't!'

"Oh, I would. Go see him, I'll be around."

She began to walk away before Dan could argue more so he turned towards Phil and began to walk. He took a deep breath as he got closer and tried to call his mind which was going a mile a minute with worst case scenarios. He wouldn't turn Dan away would he? He was the one that wanted to hang out with Dan after all. Overthinking was one of Dan's few talents.

Soon, Phil was right in front of him facing the opposite way, looking at plants. _What a little cutie._

Dan tapped on Phil's shoulder and smiled as he turned around. Phil seemed confused at first but smiled widely when he realized who had actually tapped him.

"Oh my god, hi!"

Dan waved shyly as he pulled out his phone to type in his notes. This would be much quicker than physically writing.

'Hi.'

"It's a weird coincidence that we're both here, of all places, at the same time. What brings you here?"

'My mom wanted me to go with her and I didn't want to be an awful son and say no. How about you?'

"I needed to buy some houseplants for my flat and I kind of stumbled upon this and saw some plants."

'What kind of plants are you getting?'

"Honestly, I don't know what they're called, but these two." Phil says as he points to one small plant and one that was fairly large.

"Now that I think about it, I don't really know how I'm gonna get both of these home since I walked here."

'We drove, maybe we could give a lift?'

"That would be great actually, thank you!"

Dan picked up the larger plant in a shameless attempt to impress Phil and though he lifted it, he was regretting it instantly as his arms began to burn. _Get it together Dan, you'll have to walk for a minute max._

He maneuvered through the crowd and saw his mum standing off the side looking through her purse. She looked up at him and immediately came over to help him put the plant down. He regretted his unfit lifestyle as Phil came over with the smaller plant.

'Is it okay if we drive Phil to his flat?'

"Of course, I'm Dan's mum by the way since he isn't the best with introductions."

Dan rolled his eyes and smiled as she shook Phil's hand, "It's nice to meet you, thank you for letting me catch a lift with you guys. I bought the large plant out of impulse and if it weren't for you guys I'd be lost."

"It's truly no problem." Dan picked up the plant again, this time not noticing the weight because his arms were already numb. He was reconsidering getting a gym membership so he could at least lift up something as simple as a plant.

He placed it in the car and took the smaller plant from Phil, shivering slightly as their hands brushed. They both got into the car and Dan's mum began asking Phil questions about the band and how he handled the lifestyle. Dan enjoyed listening to Phil talk and he snuck many glances at him as they drove the short distance to his flat.

"This is it here, thank you! Would you two like to come in for lunch? I'm not much a cook but I can order a pizza."

"I'm fine, but how about you two go. I need to head home anyways."

_Oh my god, bless you mother._

"If you don't mind me stealing your son, then I'm okay with that." Phil said smiling over at Dan.

"Only if you return him."

"Can't make any promises."

To say Dan was internally screaming would be an understatement. He was literally the human embodiment of the Kermit the frog meme.

The two boys stepped out of the car, grabbed the two plants, and walked into the apartment building. Phil had taken the larger plant this time and Dan tried to keep himself from staring at his flexing biceps. God was real.

The elevator ride was consumed with a comfortable silence. Dan was trying to control his breathing. This was a thing that was happening. He was literally living the dream. He didn't feel like just a fan, he felt like he had been friends with Phil for years. Dan had thought that the night of the show would have been the highlight of his life but the rate things were going, he may have assumed too quickly.

"Well this is my flat. Don't leak my address on twitter or anything, okay?" Phil asked with a smirk that made Dan want to breathe heavily.

He snorted in reply and rolled his eyes, as if he would share this gem with the internet. He looked around the flat and decided that it was the epitome of Phil Lester. Nerdy things placed around the house that Dan himself loved.

He and Phil were going to get along just fine.


	19. Chapter 19

Never in Dan's wildest dreams did he think he would be sitting in his favourite band member's apartment eating pizza and laughing on the couch watching some show he didn't know the name of as if he had been friend's with them for years. Friendship was something Dan had a hard time coming across in general, let alone with someone he considered to be the love of his life.  He still barely knew Phil and yet he felt like he could consider him a friend. 

Dan had never been as relaxed as he was in this moment. He didn't even need to pay attention to the show as Phil was far more interesting in Dan's opinion. HIs laugh was infectious and his smile was intoxicating. Phil had such an addictive personality, it was hard not to fall in love with him. Dan found himself looking at Phil more often than the screen and since Phil was so entranced in the show before him, he didn't even notice the boy staring. He had no idea how much he actually meant to Dan.

Dan couldn't help but smile at how happy Phil seemed to be. He had an urge to just reach out and grab his hand but he wasn't about to step across a boundary when he had only been with him for a few hours. There were too many unknowns and uncertainties in whatever was happening between the two of them. Dan was sure it could be considered a friendship but at the same time he didn't know if Phil thought the same. Surely he wouldn't have just invited him into his flat if he considered him a stranger.

"Do you want more pizza?" Phil asks, breaking Dan out his daydream. Dan's cheeks heat up slightly as he realizes he had been staring at Phil and it was obviously noticed by the slight smirk on Phil's lips. Dan shook his head, he had already had five slices and felt as if he were going to explode. He probably would have had more but the nerves he felt with Phil didn't help with his appetite. 

'Where's your bathroom?' Dan types on his phone.

"First door on the left."

Dan gets up off the couch and makes his way to the hallway. He closes the door to the bathroom and lets out a breath. He didn't actually need to go the bathroom, he just wanted to update Anna. She deserved to know about the miraculous thing that had happened.

**danisnotonfire:** you won't believe where I am right now

**annaisvegastrash:** cuba? space? my house to surprise me because I really miss you?

**danisnotonfire:** okay I wish I was at your house because I miss you too but you're not gonna believe me

**annaisvegastrash:** where? don't leave me hanging

**danisnotonfire:** phil's house

**annaisvegastrash:** NO WAY. YOU'RE LYING TO ME.

**danisnotonfire:** I'm not lying. I'll talk more after because I'm pretending to be going to the bathroom and I don't want to talk too long. I'm dying on the inside

**annaisvegastrash:** GOOD LUCK MY SON. GO GET YOUR MAN

Dan rolled his eyes with a smile as he walked out of the bathroom, making sure to flush and run the tap for a while to make it seem like he didn't just come into the bathroom to hide. He walked out to see the coffee table cleared of the pizza box and the plates and he couldn't lie and say he wasn't disappointed. He didn't want to leave Phil just yet.

Phil comes out the kitchen and smiles at Dan, "Do you want to go get ice cream or something? I'm craving dessert but I don't have anything here."

Dan said a silent prayer as thanks in his head as he tried to remain as nonchalant as possible. He nods his head yes and the two boys put on their shoes and head out the front door. This day was getting better and better for Dan. Not only was he hanging out with Phil, but Phil was the one who continued to initiate things to do as if he didn't want the day to end. 

They walked to a local ice cream parlour, ordered their ice cream, and sat down at the window seat. The two were unable to have normal conversations while eating since Dan's ice cream would melt as he spent his time typing out replies. Never in Dan's life had he been more frustrated in being mute. All he wanted to do was talk to Phil like a normal human being and he couldn't even do that. As content as he was simply listening to Phil's stories and even enjoying a comfortable silence, he wanted to be able to tell Phil his own. Unfortunately, he'd just have to deal with it. A miracle wasn't going to happen and allow Dan to speak. This was his life and he could handle the obstacles thrown his way.

Phil was in the middle of a story when he stopped mid sentence and looked past Dan's shoulder. "I think that group of girls may recognize me, they keep looking over."

Dan glanced behind him and sure enough the girls were looking over and talking amongst themselves. As Dan was looking, one of the girls came over. "Erm, sorry to bother you but are you Phil from the band Vegas?"

Phil nodded politely with a smile and the girl grinned and beckoned her friends over, "We're such huge fans, would it be okay if we could get a picture?"

Phil looked at Dan apologetically but Dan gave him a reassuring smile saying it was okay. He couldn't blame the girls at all considering he was a fan himself. It was a norm in Phil's lifestyle and Dan wasn't about to crush three girl's dreams in meeting someone they supported. He watched Phil take pictures with each of the girls and talk to them for awhile before they said goodbye. At least they were respectful and not the fans that attack.

"Sorry about that. I'm still trying to get used to strangers coming up to me and asking for pictures. It's only going to get more frequent if the band keeps growing."

'It's okay. If it makes you feel any better, you just made their day. Year probably.'

"I love meeting people, I do. It's just when you're supposed to be on a break and you're having some downtime it's kind of strange. I do love seeing them smile though, it makes it worth it."

That was when Dan got an idea, 'If you want some peace and quiet, I can show you a place.'

Phil furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but agreed in whatever Dan had planned. He barely knew Dan, but he felt like he could trust him. The two boys walked down the street, Dan walking with a purpose and Phil simply following Dan, not really caring where they ended up. Phil was already growing attached to Dan. Running into him at the farmers market was the best stroke of luck he had received ever since Vegas started to pick up. 

He had noticed Dan staring at him back in the flat and he couldn't ignore the butterflies in his stomach when he saw Dan's cheeks turn a shade of pink. Phil had originally wanted to get in touch with Dan to start a friendship, but the longer they spent together, the more Phil wanted something else. It was ridiculous of course because this was the first time they had actually spent a prolonged amount of time together. But he also knew there was something that had drawn him into Dan in the first place back at the show.

There was something about Dan Howell and Phil didn't quite know what it was.

Without realizing it, they had arrived at the destination Dan had in mind. Phil had been so fixated on Dan that he hadn't even noticed they had left the city. He didn't even know how long they had walked for, and Phil didn't care, because he was with Dan.

"This place is beautiful." Phil said in awe and it truly was. They were at a riverside and the only sounds were the water flowing peacefully and the birds in the trees. Phil instantly felt calm and at ease as he closed his eyes and exhaled. "Thank you for bringing me here, Dan."

Dan simply smiled and tugged Phil's sleeve to get him to follow him to the riverside. They stepped on the rocks that surrounded the river and the two boys sat down. Dan took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his jeans, and dipped them into the cool water. Phil copied Dan and let out a sigh of content. 

The two boys never spoke the entire time they were there and it didn't bother either of them. They both found that as long as they were together, they were happy. Maybe they were both a little crazy considering they barely knew each other, but they both knew this was only the beginning of wherever life decided to take them. Without saying a word, both Dan and Phil knew this was only going to be the first of many times they spent together. Both had formed an attachment to the other and both wanted it to continue no matter what.

They sat by the river for hours, shoulder to shoulder, feet brushing every once in awhile causing them to smile softly. The sun was starting to set and they remained in the same spot, watching the colours transform the sky from a blue to a mosaic of soft yellows and pinks. It was only until it began to get dark when they both decided it would be best to head back to civilization, as reluctant as they were. 


	20. Chapter 20

The one thing about grade 12 that almost teenager looked forward to was prom, and Dan had completely forgotten about it. He had been so engrossed in Vegas and trying to stay afloat with end of the year homework and exam preparation that prom was something that hadn't even crossed his mind. If he was in any other situation, he wouldn't even think about going. It wasn't like anyone would actually pay attention to him and he wasn't going to go alone, but now that he was talking to Phil, he was considering asking him. 

He had gone over it in his head for the past two days and every time he did, he wanted to ask more than before. Of course it was easier to ask in your imagination, in real life it was a complete different story. Dan doubted Phil would want to spend an evening in some banquet hall surrounded by sweaty teenagers for the second time. Or Phil never went to his prom because he thought it would be overrated. There wouldn't really be any harm in asking, the worst thing Phil would say was no and Dan already had a lack of dignity to be scarred from the rejection. He didn't have much to lose.

Dan had already bought two tickets simply based on impulse and as a reason to ask Phil without backing out. If Phil did say no, he would have two tickets and no one to go with. Maybe buying them before asking hadn't been the best idea. 

**danisnotonfire:** anna i need your opinion

**annaisvegastrash:** you have reached the oracle of all knowledge and opinions, please leave a message at the beep and i will reply as soon as i have made a brilliant deduction *beep*

**danisnotonfire:** should i ask phil to prom?

**annaisvegastrash:** hmm let me think, oh wait, OBVIOUSLY WHY ARE YOU EVEN ASKING ME?

**danisnotonfire:** idk i was really confident in asking in my imagination but now that i'm actually 100% considering it i'm having doubts

**annaisvegastrash:** a) the worst that could happen is he says no and you can deal with the rejection or b) he says yes and you have the best night with your man and you have the most cliche first kiss on the dance floor during an ed sheeran song

**danisnotonfire:** okay a) it could get awkward and b) i'm not gonna have my first kiss amongst a bunch of hormonal teenagers who are just waiting to get it on at after prom

**annaisvegastrash:** you're asking him. if you don't i will get on a plane to london just so i could smack you in the head

**danisnotonfire:** okay fine how should i go about it?

**annaisvegastrash:** i'm so glad you asked

-

Dan's faith in Anna was the only reason he had actually decided to go through with asking Phil to prom, and the only reason he was currently standing outside of Phil's apartment door holding a bristol board saying "ALThOgh i just met you, would you like to cause some TREBLE with me at prom?" (wow music puns gotta love em)

Anna had thought of the pun and the idea to go to his flat and the longer Dan stood in front of the door, the more he realized this was a bad idea. Not only would Phil say no, he would think Dan was some kind of stalker. Dan himself felt creepy, so he couldn't imagine how Phil would end up feeling.

He was tempted to just walk away and pretend he was never there but the bolder side of him had just rung the doorbell. Dan's heartbeat began to race as he heard footsteps coming towards the door and he plastered on the most convincing smile he could as Phil opened the door. He smiled at Dan and then looked down in confusion at Dan's sign.

_Oh dear, he stopped smiling. Get ready to run, Dan. Get ready to move to the arctic so nobody can find you._

"I would love to go to prom with you! How can I say no when you've made a music pun?" Phil exclaimed.

_He's gonna hate y- wait what._

He had actually said yes. Once again, Dan had had doubts for absolutely no reason. He really needed to stop overthinking and expecting the worst because lately he had been getting the best options. 

If he weren't right in front of Phil he would have started to jump up and down and probably start crying a little bit, but for now he did nothing but smile. Now that the promposal was out of the way, there was an awkward silence between the two boys. Dan didn't know if he should just leave or wait for Phil to do something. The after wasn't planned very well.

"Would you like to come in? Or would you rather just stand outside my door?" Phil asked with a smirk that once again made Dan feel some type of way.

Dan nodded his head and walked into the flat, trying to process the fact that Phil Lester was going to be his prom date.


	21. Chapter 21

Prom was today and Dan was feeling anxious. He had gone shopping with his mum for a suit and he thought he looked good but he couldn't help but tug on the collar of his shirt and the sleeves of the suit jacket just to make sure they were straighter than he ever was. He had checked his hair in the mirror at least ten times in the past five minutes and checked his phone for the millionth time. Dan still hadn't processed that he would be spending the entire evening with Phil and there would be a point, and least hopefully, where they would be slow dancing. Dan couldn't dance, but he would find a way to manage with Phil. There was no way he'd be giving that opportunity up.

Anna had texted him prom tips such as kiss during the most cliche song, no twerking, and to use protection which only caused Dan to roll his eyes. He wasn't about to kiss Phil when he barely knew him, as much as he wanted to, Dan did not twerk, and they wouldn't be needing protection because they wouldn't get to that stage. Not that Dan would have minded if they did.

Dan's heart skips at least three beats when he hears the doorbell ring and the distinct sound of Phil's voice saying good evening to his mum when she opens the door. He hears his mum saying cliche sentences such as how handsome Phil looks and Dan almost wants to vomit because he doesn't doubt that Phil looks beyond handsome. When he finally emerges from the bathroom and gets to the top of the stairs, he's tempted to throw himself down them because Phil looks better than handsome, if that's even possible.

He's wearing a suit similar to Dan's and is sporting a navy blue bow tie. What makes Dan want to jump him however is instead of his signature fringe, Phil has his hair up in a quiff. It is without a doubt the sexiest thing Dan has ever seen and he wants to run his fingers through the boys raven hair. Regina George knew what she was talking about when it came to hair being pushed back.

_Oh lord have mercy on me. The lord is testing my self control tonight._

Phil stared in awe as Dan descended down the stairs in all of his sophisticated glory. He didn't even care that this was the most stereotypical high school movie scene where the girl walks down the stairs and the boy is blown away by her beauty. In this case there was no girl and Phil couldn't be happier with that one change in the script.

Dan had almost made his descent down the stairs flawlessly, but because it was Dan, he had to slide on the hardwood flooring once he took his first step off the stairs. He blamed his clumsiness and the new dress shoes, but he was able to style it out and redeem himself. He was just grateful he didn't fall on his ass. Phil smirked at the slip and instead of making a comment he pretended he didn't notice. Dan knew he'd make a comment once they had left.

"You two look so handsome, you're going to make me cry. Come over here, let me indulge in taking prom pictures with minimal complaining!"

Dan and Phil did as they were told and Dan was internally freaking out just thinking about all the pictures with his fave he would have now. _Eat your heart out Phil girls._

"Okay, I'm done. I'll let you two boys go. Have fun tonight and stay safe! No drinking, no drugs, and drive safely."

"I'll keep your son safe, don't you worry Mrs. Howell. I'd miss him too much."

Dan hugged his mum and followed Phil out of the house towards the car that Phil had rented for the night. Dan knew nothing about cars but it was a nice one, more expensive than anything he could even think of buying. Phil opened Dan's door, "A carriage for a prince." As Phil made his way to the drivers side, Dan tried to steady his breathing. He had no idea how he was going to handle the whole night.

"Nice slip back there by the way, I can see you were clearly falling for me." Phil said with a wink.

Phil Lester was going to be the death of Dan before the night came to an end.

Phil usually wasn't this confident but there was something about watching Dan blush. He was absolutely adorable and looked so innocent. He was sure he wasn't as innocent as he seemed though. If it weren't for Dan being mute, he would have the perfect retorts to make Phil blush in return. Luckily for Phil, it was all one sided and unfortunately for Dan, he would have to suffer silently.

They arrived at the banquet hall and Dan didn't even care that he had already seen people he disliked. They didn't matter tonight because he had Phil. Phil opened Dan's door for him and held out his hand for Dan to take. The two boys walked into the hall hand in hand and made their way to their table. They were sat at what was considered the "misfit" table, the group of people who didn't have a big enough group of friends to sit with and the people who were considered the outcasts. Dan didn't mind that at all, he fit in here even though he had never spoken, obviously, to any of the people in his years at the school.

They politely smiled at the randoms at the table before they all went back to whatever conversations they were having. Dan looked around the banquet hall and was surprised that they managed to not make the decor look tacky. With a theme like Ancient Greece, he expected pillars to be placed around with plastic vines and grapes. Though that is what they did, it didn't look bad. No one really cared about the theme anyway, and all Dan wanted was the food.

The dinner went by uneventfully with Phil indulging in one sided conversation as Dan listened intently. He would write a reply on his phone occasionally in between bites of his food. He had noticed some people, specifically a group of girls a few tables away, taking frequent glances at Phil. Dan understood that this would be inevitable since his date was in fact considered famous, but it was getting on his nerves. He didn't want Phil's night to be filled with people asking for pictures. Mostly, Dan wanted Phil to himself for the night. He had a problem with jealousy and he was glad he was mute because he wouldn't say something to make it obvious. His facial expressions exposed that enough.

"Are you okay, Dan? You're sending some intense death glares." Phil asked, interrupting the story he was telling that Dan was clearly not paying much attention to.

'I think those girls recognize you, they keep looking over.'

Phil frowned, "I guess it was inevitable at some point. It's fine, if they come over, I'll just say I want to have a normal night. I'm not going to ditch you, this is our night, not theirs."

Dan smiled softly, Phil truly was something special. 'I don't mind if they ask for a picture with you, I just don't want them causing too much attention and having tonight turn into an unplanned meet and greet for you. You deserve a break too.'

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Phil said honestly. "Besides, they won't be able to run too fast in their heels."

Once the servers had cleared all of the dessert plates, the music became more upbeat and significantly louder.  Small groups of people made their way onto the dance floor until only a few people were sitting and the floor was packed. Phil stood and reached a hand out to Dan, "May I have this dance?" Dan nodded and reached his hand out to Phil. His stomach did backflips as Phil leaned down to kiss his hand, looking up at Dan with an arched eyebrow, before dragging him to the dance floor. _Lord have mercy on me._

Neither Dan or Phil knew how to dance, so they settled for swaying back and forth and occasionally taking a step side to side. The music choices were surprisingly okay. Of course they played the top ten songs of the year with some cringe worthy club music, but they also played some decent alternative music. Dan had no shame in jamming out to the YMCA either.

The time had come for the slow dances and Dan wasn't ready. Well, he was, but he wasn't sure his emotions would be able to handle it. The beginning of A Daydream Away by All Time Low sounded through the room and Phil pulled Dan in without any warning. He places his hands on Dan's waist and Dan puts his arms around Phil's neck. The two boys are so close that they can feel the heat radiating off of the other. Dan can feel his cheeks heating up and he doesn't even care, it's impossible not to when he's this close to Phil.

Three more slower songs play before the music changes to a Drake song, causing everyone to get hyped. Dan and Phil remain where they are, however, not caring that everyone is jumping around them. Neither pull away as they continue to stare in the others eyes. They both smile softly and Dan wants to kiss Phil, but is too terrified to make the first move. Phil feels the same way, but he doesn't want their first kiss to be in the middle of a group of teenagers. He'd rather it happen when they were alone. Maybe after prom would give them that opportunity. Either way, Phil wasn't leaving Dan tonight without a kiss.

The rest of prom went by quite quickly, and soon everyone was hopping in their cars and limos and speeding off the after prom. It was the one party where everyone was invited, despite the social status you had. Everybody would be too drunk to notice the misfits anyway. Dan was thankful for Phil because this would be the longest he's ever spent with people he truly disliked. A few hours of classes were barely tolerable, and now he'd be seeing them drunk which would inevitably lead them to becoming 10x more annoying and ignorant. 

They had arrived at the house hosting the party and make their way through the front door. The party was already in full swing, music booming and many people lined up for the kegs. He grabbed Phil's hand as they pushed through the crowd in an attempt to find somewhere that wasn't too crowded. They settle for a corner of the room where they can easily observe the drunk teenagers who would regret their decisions in the morning and more than likely not remember a thing. Phil seemed amused, "I forgot how seniors acted at house parties, they aren;t much different than adults when they're drunk honestly. Humans can be so stupid."

Dan nodded in agreement, 'Do you want a drink or anything?' He really hoped his phone wouldn't die until he was home or else he'd have no way to talk to Phil.

"No thank you, I have to get you home safely. You can have something if you want."

'I'll be right back.' Dan went into the kitchen and was relieved to find a cooler. He grabbed whatever alcoholic beverage he saw first and got a water bottle for Phil. Just because he didn't want to drink didn't mean he had to dehydrate. Dan walked back into the living room and was extremely displeased to see the same group of girls who were staring at Phil at prom surrounding him as if he were in a zoo exhibit. He wouldn't be as annoyed as he was if Phil didn't look so uncomfortable. He was talking to them and Dan was positive that he only was because he was too sweet to tell them to leave. Dan wasn't as sweet however and he wasn't about to have girls who wouldn't have given Phil the time of day if he weren't in a band ruin their night.

He took a long swig of his drink for a boost of confidence before marching over, acting more intimidating than he actually was, and standing beside Phil. He handed him the bottle of water and slid his arm around Phil's waist. The girls gave him a dirty look before saying bye and scurrying over to where the football team was chugging back beer as if it were water.

"Thank you so much, I thought they would never leave."

'It's fine. I shouldn't have left you alone anyway. Do you want to go out to the backyard so people won't bother you?'

"Yes please."

Dan and Phil make their way to the backyard where there are significantly less people. A few are surrounding a campfire and some are just sitting on the deck having conversations. The two boys sit on the deck and simply enjoy the others company. It was considerably chilly for the month of June and suit jackets didn't give the best warmth. Dan didn't know if it was the alcohol he had consumed or just a boost of confidence, but he moved closer to Phil to get some warmth. Phil wraps his arm around Dan and leans his head on his shoulder. "Thank you for treating me like I'm just a normal human being. Half of the people I talk to only do it because I'm in a band, but you act as if I'm not. Even if you being a fan is what brought us together in the first place."

'You'd still be the same amazing person whether you were in a band or not, so how could I treat you differently?'

"I wish more people thought the same way as you. You're special, Dan."

Dan didn't know how to reply so he just wrapped his arm around Phil in a similar fashion and leaned his head on top of Phil's. Moments like these were the times Dan forgot he had only been a fan a few months ago. Awhile ago he thought he would have never gotten the chance to even see Phil in person, and now they were side by side and closer than Dan thought he'd ever get.

"Would it be absurd if I said I wanted to kiss you, Dan?" Phil asked in a whisper as he lifted his head off of Dan's shoulder to look into his eyes.

Dan sucked in a breath as he met Phil's glance. The moment he had only dreamt of was becoming a reality. He was almost ashamed of himself for thinking of how this would be the perfect fanfiction (lmao ayyyeee).

He shook his head as he slowly leant in. Phil met him in the middle and Dan instantly blushed the moment their lips brushed. Dan grabbed the sides of Phil's face to deepen the kiss and Phil grabbed Dan's waist to pull him closer. He smirked into the kiss as Dan shivered, either from the cold or from Phil's touch. The two continued to kiss and it could have been considered cliche if it weren't for the distant sound of the hollering coming from inside the house and the Kanye West song playing in the background.

"Yooooo, get some, homies!" a booming voice yelled out causing Dan and Phil to jump and break the kiss. They turn to see an extremely drunk football player leaning against the doorframe leading to the backyard. "Be free to love each other my dudes. Cheers to you."

Dan buried his face into Phil's shoulder out of embarrassment as Phil chuckled. He kissed the top of Dan's head and wrapped his arms around him. Despite the awkward moments, tonight had been one of the best nights in Phil's life, and he was so grateful to have Dan in his life.


	22. Chapter 22

It was summer vacation, Dan had passed all of his exams, he had graduated on the honour roll, and he was in some form of a relationship with Phil. They had never made whatever they had as official and Dan honestly didn't really mind. It was something that was more than friends and he was happy, he didn't need a label on what they had. As long as he had Phil, he was fine.

Summer gave him more time to spend with Phil and the majority of their time was spent by the spot by the river. It had become _their_ spot. It was where they could completely be themselves and the one place where Phil wouldn't get noticed and asked for pictures. Vegas had grown considerably in popularity and it was very rare if Phil didn't have at least one group coming up to him every time he was with Dan.

Dan always said it was fine, because it was, but he couldn't help but feel irritated when fans took advantage of the time they had rather than realize that Phil was still a human being trying to have a normal day. Phil never said anything because he knew it made the fans happy, which made it worth it in the end. It was an inevitable barrier that they had to manage around.

The place by the river had become an escape for the two. Rumours of them dating were already circling around the internet and it would only become more frequent as the band continued to grow. Phil would ignore all the questions or just brush it off by saying they were only friends, but it would eventually become quite clear. The two boys had resorted to minimal physical contact and prolonged glances in public. The hand holding and kisses and gazes were saved for when they were alone. They always found a way to make up for lost time. If they had their moments alone, there would never be a time where they weren't holding hands or even just leaning on each other.

They wanted to use all the time they had since Phil would eventually become busy with Vegas again. Soon he'd be in the recording studio for hours on end, and eventually go back on tour. Dan didn't want to think about that for now, he would end up missing him way too much. For now he would appreciate the time he actually had. He didn't want to worry about the future, all that mattered was now.

Dan and Phil were currently laying down on the grass, soaking up the summer sun that shone upon their faces. The blades of grass were tickling their bare feet and arms and their hands were interlocked. Phil had his eyes closed and wore a small content smile. Dan found himself staring at Phil and thinking how he was sent an angel. He really didn't know where he'd be right now if it weren't for Phil.

He didn't want to know who he would be without Phil.

"Dan? Are you okay?" Phil asks as he notices Dan staring off into space.

Dan blinks rapidly, trying to bring himself back to now. He didn't need to worry about being without Phil because Phil was right in front of him, holding him, looking at him with all the care in the world. He nods with a smile because he is okay. With Phil he will always be okay.

-

The months went by and things were changing. Dan had taken a gap year because he truly had no idea what to do with his life and Vegas had taken the world by storm with their newest single. It all happened so suddenly. One moment they were releasing a new song for their fans and then they were charting at number one on multiple song charts. They were played on all radio stations, music videos were getting millions of views, all of their social media followers had doubled in a week. No matter where you looked, Vegas was there.

Dan was beyond happy for Phil and the rest of the band. It didn't matter if his relationship with Phil was a thing, he would always be a Vegas stan at heart and treat the band the same way he did before he had met them. He constantly tweeted his support and he still had a fan account on Tumblr, the only difference was that people now knew who he was. Hundreds of tweets would flood into his notifications asking about him and Phil and whether they were dating or not. He had received support as well as death threats, which he thought were ridiculous.

It was impossible for Dan and Phil to be seen in public together without being bombarded by fans. He knew this change was good for Vegas, but he also thought it may have happened too quickly. Phil's life had been turned upside down overnight and he could no longer act like a normal human being going out to get coffee. He still agreed to pictures within reason but it was obvious that it could easily get to be too much.

Dan and Phil's time together had lessened considerably due to all the new responsibilities Phil had with Vegas. Their management wanted them working long hours on the newest record, especially now that they had become more popular. "More listeners, more need to impress." was the motto they used and though it was true, there was no need to overwork the band. Phil never complained because it was the career he chose, and it was a career he loved. He knew if he wanted this to work, he'd have to put in the effort. Dan just didn't want his sun to burn out.

Phil always found a way to spend time with Dan, even if meant just going over to his house and taking a nap. They always found ways to keep the other happy and everything was going well despite the change.

Life seemed to like finding a way to throw barricades once they made it over the one before.

Due to Vegas' rise to fame, they had to learn how to deal with new forms of publicity and stunts to get attention. Phil was currently sat in his manager's office and he already knew whatever he was about to be told to do would be something he wasn't going to like. He was right. It was something he wouldn't have liked even if he weren't in a band.

Apparently, Phil needed to have a girlfriend, a fake one specifically, to gain publicity. He said no, he practically begged. "No. Absolutely not. First of all, I'm not even straight if you hadn't clued in like literally everyone else has. Second, I'm currently in a relationship and there is no way in hell I'm going to screw it up because of some pr stunt. Third, I'm not going to be thrown into a fake relationship just to get press. I'm in this for the music, not to be someone I'm not."

His manager scolded him as if he were some child and was given a lecture as to how relationships made people interested. Phil argued back saying fans were there because the songs were good and music critics did their job to critique music, not relationships. Everything he said was ignored as if his manager had selective hearing. Nothing he said would change what was inevitably going to happen.

He stormed out of the room and began walking with absolutely no clue where he was headed. He was angry and frustrated and all he wanted was to go back to when all Vegas was was a small band who played shows to people who cared about the content they created, not their private lives. Phil needed to find a way out of this, there was no way he was gaining a reputation based on the people he "dated". More importantly, he needed to find a way out of it so he didn't lose Dan.


	23. Chapter 23

Phil had been walking around the city aimlessly with no destination in mind. He just needed to clear his head, and walking was doing just that. Instead of focusing on the burden that had been forced upon him, he focused on the simple sound of his feet hitting the pavement and the passing cars from the London traffic. He looked up at the sky and watched a flock of birds soar through the air and the clouds that were slowly becoming darker, signifying that it was going to rain soon.

Phil liked the rain, but not enough to want to be caught in it and get home with soaked through clothing. He was nowhere near his flat at this point, it would take a few hours to walk and he had no cash for a taxi. As he looked around, he noticed he was fairly close to Dan's house. He would more than likely be caught in the rain, but it would take less time to get to Dan's than his own flat. Plus, it would be a good opportunity to talk about the fake girlfriend stunt. He didn't want to talk about it, but it would have to be done eventually.

He whips out his phone and texts Dan asking if he was home and if it was okay for him to come over. Phil was relieved to find out he was home and he smiles, despite the situation they were in. He really hoped nothing bad would happen when he told Dan, he couldn't lose him. Phil would do _anything and everything_ he had to to prevent him from losing Dan.

The rain begins to fall lightly as Phil walks to Dan's house, leading him to quicken his pace into a light jog. Raindrops bounce off of his pale skin and his hair dampens as he rain picks up into a summer shower. Hopefully he could borrow something of Dan's that was dry and warm. It would give him an excuse to hug him as a way to warm up as well. Not that he needed an excuse to hug him.

Much to Phil's relief, Dan's house comes into view and rings the doorbell. Dan opens the door, beaming and rushing Phil inside away from the downpour outside. Phil's clothes are soaked and he begins to shiver, his heart still warm because of the boy in front of him. He takes off his shoes and remains on the doormat until Dan grabs him a towel for him to dry his feet so he didn't track water through the house.

Once his feet are dry, he follows Dan upstairs where he's given a pile of clothes to change into. He thanks Dan before walking into his bathroom to change. There was nothing like changing into warm and dry clothes after you've been wet and cold. It felt like a hug from that special someone, and Phil was lucky to have dry clothes and that special someone. He found himself smiling to himself just thinking about Dan. Meeting him was one of the best things to ever happen to him and he wanted to tell him that every chance he got. 

His smile faltered as he remembered what he needed to talk to Dan about. Phil just wanted to ignore it. To pretend the issue didn't exist. He could just go back out and spend the night with Dan as if nothing was wrong and nothing was eating away at him. If he didn't say anything now, Dan would find out the hard way. He would inevitably see pictures circling the internet, and it would be much more difficult to explain the situation. There was absolutely no way he was going to let Dan think he was cheating.

The sound of a piano breaks Phil out of his thoughts. He opened the bathroom door slightly to get a better listen and felt a strange feeling of calm. The negativity he was drowning in previously had washed away and he felt light. Phil hung his wet clothes on the shower rack, not knowing where to put them, and followed the sound of piano. He walked into a spare room and saw Dan. His back was facing Phil, but he seemed so relaxed and at ease. Phil walked towards him, being cautious not to scare him. He sits down on the piano bench and Dan smiles softly, knowing that Phil is beside him despite his eyes being closed.

Phil watches Dan play piano for what feels like hours. He stares at Dan and realizes how lucky he actually is to have him. He was sweet and kind and made Phil so undeniably happy. Phil never had any doubts when he was with Dan, he had a way of making him forget about everything he didn't like about himself and everything that was bothering him. Dan was a blessing, as well as a saviour.

Dan finishes the song he was playing and looks at Phil. He furrows his eyebrows in concern as he reaches to Phil's cheek to wipe away the tear rolling down. Phil wipes his eyes and let's out a chuckle, "Sorry, I'm being pathetic."

He grabs Dan's hand and gives a weak smile. Dan turns to face him, 'What's wrong?' he mouths.

"It's stupid really. Since Vegas is getting bigger and getting more publicity, my manager is trying to put together pr stunts for the press. It's really dumb because the press will latch onto anything and it's not something I want to do. They want me to get a fake girlfriend. To be seen in public with her, go on dates, just be seen in the public eye and give the media something to write about that isn't music. Nobody cares about that anyway, they just want the drama and relationships. I don't want to walk around pretending I'm happy with someone that isn't you, Dan. I don't want to lose you because of this thing I'm being forced into. I care about you way too much for that. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don't want this fake relationship to ruin everything."

Dan did nothing but grab Phil to pull him into a hug. Phil clutched onto Dan as if his life depended on it and buried his head into his shoulder. He didn't want to, but he cried. He felt so weak and vulnerable but he couldn't keep it in. Dan slowly dragged his hand up and down Phil's back, trying to calm him. He wanted to tell him how it was going to be okay, how they were going to be okay. Nothing was going to tear them apart, especially not something as stupid as a fake relationship that Phil didn't even want in the first place. He wanted to say _something_ and yet he couldn't and he had never been more frustrated.

Phil pulled away, "I made a mess of your shirt, I'm sorry." Dan shrugged nonchalantly because his shirt was the last thing he cared about at the moment. All he cared about was Phil and making sure he was okay.

"Please don't leave me, Dan. Ever. I truly don't know what I'd do without you." Phil pleaded, staring at Dan as if to beg him to never let him go.

Dan said nothing of course. He grabbed the sides of Phil's face and kissed him. It wasn't needy or desperate. It was soft and loving. It was the reassurance that Phil needed to let him know that he wasn't alone and that they would get through whatever life wanted to throw at them. They were each others rocks, their lights that guided them through the dark. Phil had called Dan his saviour not knowing that he was also Dan's saviour. 

Phil went home after it had stopped raining, much to Dan's dismay. Phil didn't want to leave, but Dan's mum would be coming home soon and he didn't want her to come home to a tear stained boy wearing her son's clothes. Phil felt much better and he was glad he had talked to Dan. He didn't doubt this fake relationship would cause obstacles along the way, but he also knew that they would find a way to work through it.

He entered his flat, immediately throwing his clothes in the dryer but not changing out of Dan's clothes. They smelled like him and they made Phil feel more at home. He sat down on the couch, pulling out his phone to see a text from Dan.

_'You have no idea how much I hate not being able to actually speak to you. There were so many things I wanted to say to you when you were here that I was physically unable to. We are going to be okay, Phil. I can promise you that. This bullshit won't tear us apart. Honestly, you're going to have to try harder to get rid of me anyways. You mean the world to me and nothing I can say will let you know just how important you really are to me. We will be okay.'_

_'Anna says hi by the way.'_


	24. Chapter 24

The publicity stunt had started and, much to Phil's surprise, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Victoria, his "girlfriend", was actually very sweet and down to earth and wanted to be apart of this "relationship" as much as Phil did. She was an actress who had just started to catch the media's eye and apparently needed all the publicity she could get, according to her manager at least. Much like Phil, she wanted to make a name for herself by doing her work, not through who she was seen in public with.

They both knew when to bite their tongues and go with what they were told, however, they both agreed they wouldn't do anything that was too much. They would stick to hand holding at most, kissing was off limits. Victoria understood that Phil was already in an actual relationship, plus, she wasn't interested in the male specimen anyway. Phil was lucky that he was paired with Victoria for this stunt because they both understood each other and were both in the same boat as the other. The only difference was that Victoria didn't have a relationship that could be ruined because of something that was fake.

Phil hadn't been able to see Dan as much as he wanted to due to both the stunt and recording the new album. He texted him whenever he had free time and Dan was understanding that this was Phil's career, but it still sucked. Phil didn't want to spend any free time he had with someone he wasn't actually in a relationship in. He wanted to be able to do that Dan. To go out in public without any worries and hold his hand like he was proud to be his. Phil had been doing a lot of thinking lately, and he was slowly realizing that his feelings for Dan had passed the feelings of a petty crush.

All the songs Phil wrote were about him, all his thoughts were about him, all his dreams were about him, everything was about Dan. He couldn't get him out of his head, not that he wanted him off his mind, but it was hard to focus on anything else but him. Knowing he felt that way about Dan made him feel 10x as guilty about the fake relationship with Victoria. She was a kind person, but he didn't want her in the equation unless she was just a friend. For now he would have to deal with it because there wasn't anything he could do about it. All he had to do was keep this up for a little while longer and then he would say he couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't fair to Victoria as much as it wasn't fair to Dan.

Phil had been in the recording studio since the early morning and it was one of the rare days where he was able to go home early. Normally he would have to go spend a few hours with Victoria, but she was working on a shoot and would be there for the rest of the day. This meant that he would finally be able to see Dan for the first time this week. Not seeing him had left an empty hole in his heart that was in desperate need of being filled, texting could only go so far.

**Phil:** hi :)

**Dan:** hi back :)

**Phil:** I have been blessed with an early escape from recording and I was wondering if you would like to go out for dinner?

**Dan:**  hmm no thanks...

**Phil:** :o

**Dan:** just kidding! I'd love to, but aren't you supposed to be seen with Victoria? we can't really go anywhere without someone seeing

**Phil:** could you make it to our spot by the river at around 6?

**Dan:** I can do that

**Phil:** good! see you then :)

**Dan:** see you then :)

Phil wanted to do something special for Dan because he deserved it and had been putting up with everything and being supportive no matter how much it probably hurt him to see Phil with someone else. He had to figure out how he could make this more than just a dinner. He was thinking maybe a picnic, he just hoped they were something that were still considered a thing. 

He hailed a taxi and went to the closest Tesco in the area to buy food for the night. Phil needed something that was either easy to cook in a short amount of time or something already cooked since he wasn't Gordon Ramsay and wanted Dan to eat something that was above average. He wandered around the aisles for what seemed like hours and had absolutely no clue what to get. The only thing he had was a tray of cupcakes that he saw and grabbed on impulse. They couldn't just eat cupcakes, even though it didn't seem like that bad of an idea.

Phil began to panic when he realized it was four and he had no clue what he was doing. He exited Tesco with nothing but the cupcakes, a blanket, and a bottle of champagne. He looked around and saw a pizza place. Phil felt bad that he was actually walking towards it with full intentions to order a box of pizza. Dan deserved more than just pizza, but it wasn't like Phil was cupid. It's the thought that counts, plus pizza was one of the best things to ever exist.

With fifteen minutes to spare, Phil arrives at their spot and sets up the blanket and the pretty pathetic meal. Despite it being nowhere close to what he had actually planned, Phil was proud. It wasn't perfect, but neither was he. It was something that he knew Dan would appreciate because he was the most unselfish person he had ever met. Just spending time together was enough, no matter the circumstances.

Dan arrived right on time and Phil stood once he came into view. Even though it had only been a week, he had missed him like crazy. Dan waved at Phil and grinned as Phil lightly jogged over to him. He immediately pulled Dan into a hug and inhaled the familiar smell of his cologne. "I really missed you." he said softly, pulling away from the hug and gazing into Dan's eyes. 

Whoever said brown eyes were boring had been a liar. They didn't talk about how some looked like honey when the sunlight hit them at the perfect angle and the way that they made you feel like you were home if they belonged to that significant person. Phil loved brown eyes, specifically he loved Dan's brown eyes, or maybe he just loved everything about Dan in general.

Dan kissed him softly to say he had also missed Phil in his own way. Phil sighed into the kiss, he had definitely missed this. He took Dan's hand and lead him over to the picnic blanket, "It isn't much and it's kind of lame, but I wanted to do something for you."

He felt Dan squeeze his hand to give him reassurance. Phil was glad that he knew exactly what Dan was trying to say without him actually needing to voice it audibly. They had their own form of communication through glances and gestures and Phil had been trying to learn the basics of sign language such as please and thank you. He wasn't the best at it, but he was still trying, and Dan understood that Phil still knew what he meant.

They sat down on the blanket and Phil opened the champagne bottle only to find out that he had forgotten glasses. He felt like an idiot and stared at the bottle blankly, not sure on what to do. Dan smirked at Phil's confusion before grabbing the bottle and drinking from it. He hands the bottle back to Phil who copies Dan's actions. That ended up working out.

Since he had forgotten the glasses, he had also forgotten plates, and he was just grateful that pizza wasn't something that you really needed a plate for. The speaking had gone a bit cold due to the wait but it still tasted good. Phil's plans definitely weren't going the way he had imagined but it wasn't the end of the world. Dan was listening to Phil talk about the new Vegas album and some of the funny things that had happened in the studio with his band mates. He also talked about Victoria for awhile and said that she was nice and wouldn't be a problem.

"She's nice, but I still wish I didn't have to pretend to date her. I'd much rather be seen out in public with you."

Dan shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly since there wasn't anything they could do about it. He wished he was able to walk around in public with Phil as well and he didn't care how nice Victoria was or how reluctant she was to be stuck in this mess with Phil because she got to do something Dan couldn't. He was envious of her despite it being a fake relationship. Sure, he got the real Phil and was able to truly be with him, but it still hurt seeing pictures of them on social media. He shouldn't be jealous though since he was the one Phil truly cared about. 

"Dan?" Phil asked, leading Dan to look over at him. "I know this pr stunt is really stupid and I know that we never actually put an official label on what we have, but I just want you to know that I really like you. Like, really, really like you."

Dan slid his hand over to grasp Phil's, entwining their fingers and wishing that he could say something in return. "Dan, I think I love you. No, I _know_ I love you."

Dan's eyes widen as he stares at Phil. He tightens his hold on Phil's hand and smiles widely as Phil glances up at him, rosy cheeks evident due to his confession. Dan pulls up Phil's hand and begins to move Phil's fingers. He could see the pure confusion in Phil's eyes and he doesn't blame him, it wouldn't make sense until he finished.

He copied the sign that he made Phil do and mouthed the words "I love you."

Phil grinned widely and laughed, "This is something about sign language that I will definitely remember."

Despite forgetting about the glasses and plates, and the pizza being cold, and the cupcakes that were completely forgotten, Dan and Phil knew that they loved each other and that's all that really mattered.

 


	25. Chapter 25

Phil was currently walking Dan home with their hands interlocked and their steps in synch. He found himself glancing down at their hands and trailing his eyes up towards Dan's face. His mouth was upturned into a smile that had been permanent ever since they said those three little words that meant more than what life made them to mean.

The brown haired boy's mind was racing with a million words that he wanted to say to the other but he managed to say everything he wanted to say just by holding his hand and brushing against him slightly as they walked. Dan had learned that sometimes just being with Phil meant more than anything he could say to him.

Night had fallen and the pavement was illuminated by the street lamps. Their was an evening chill and the sound of crickets seemed to be deafening due to the lack of cars on the residential street of Dan's neighbourhood. It was one of those perfect late nights where it seemed like the world was on pause except for you.

Soon, Dan's house came into view and it was surprised to see the lights still on. Normally, his mum would be asleep by now since she got up fairly early for work every morning. His mind wandered to the worst case scenarios instead of just thinking she was simply staying up a bit later. What if some family member died? What if something happened to his dad? He hadn't seen him for six months now and he could tell it was hard for his mum and he couldn't imagine how she'd feel if something awful happened. Not seeing him every day was bad enough.

He opened the front door, pulling Phil inside because he didn't want to face the worst case scenarios without him. Plus, he didn't want to say goodbye just yet. Dan popped his head around the corner to look into the living room and almost dropped dead.

It wasn't the worst case scenario, it was the best case scenario. His dad was home.

He let go on Phil's hand and ran over to hug his dad. The tears were rolling down his cheeks and he didn't care. His mum was crying, his dad was crying, even Phil was crying, though he was trying to hide it the best he could. This was the first time Dan had seen his dad since Christmas. Half a year had gone by and all he was able to do was send letters and participate in laggy skype calls that never lasted more than ten minutes. Having him home was always where he and his mum were the happiest and right now, he couldn't be happier.

"I've missed you, Dan. So much. I hate not being able to see you and your mum every day."

Dan squeezed his dad tighter before pulling away and smiling up at him, tear stains evident, but happy tears.

"Is this the famous Phil I've heard so much about?"

Phil waved with wide eyes before awkwardly shuffling over and reaching out to shake the man's hand. "That's me. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"A gentleman too. I approve."

Dan and Phil blushed as they glanced at each other, smiling softly. Dan was thankful that both of his parents accepted his sexual orientation. It made coming out a hundred times easier knowing they already supported it before they knew about their son. Dan had heard horror stories and luckily for him he got the good conclusion.

"I don't want to interrupt the family reunion, so, I'll be on my way then."

"Nonsense! Phil, you are family. It's too late to be going home now. You can stay the night, if you'd like." Dan's mum said sweetly. "Both of you should go off to bed anyways, we have plenty of time to spend together."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

Dan was silently thanking the gods, he really didn't want Phil to leave. Hearing his mum call him apart of the family was everything to him. Life truly couldn't get any better than it was now.

The two boys headed upstairs after saying good night to Dan's parents. Phil borrowed a pair of Dan's pyjama bottoms and a tshirt and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room until Dan gave some sort of sign of where he wanted him to go. He didn't want to push any boundaries by laying down on the bed, but he was also hoping he wasn't told to sleep on the floor. It's not like they were going to do anything with Dan's parents across the hall anyway.

Dan crawled into bed and motioned Phil to come over, causing Phil to let out a sigh of relief. This was the perfect opportunity to cuddle Dan for a long period of time. Once he was settled, Dan wrapped his arm around Phil's waist and laid his head upon his chest. Phil softly ran his fingers up and down Dan's arm, something he found himself doing quite often when he got the chance.

They laid in the dark, saying nothing, just being together. Soon enough, Phil heard light snores coming from Dan and he smiled down at him. He moved his fringe out of his eyes and kissed the top of his forehead before shutting his eyes and falling asleep soon after.

They woke up in a tangled mess of sheets and intertwined legs. Dan had managed to wrap both arms around Phil and was laying on top of him. Phil was surprisingly comfortable for someone being crushed by a sleeping boy. Not that he minded, it was Dan after all.

Phil began to trace patterns on Dan's arm again, hoping to wake him up gently since he was getting hungry and didn't want to try and get out of bed. His method was successful as Dan began to stir. He opened an eye and looked up at Phil and smiled. Phil returned the smile and grumbled out a good morning that caused Dan's heart to do backflips.

He rolled off of Phil and landed on the empty space beside him. Phil rolled onto his side, leant over, and kissed Dan on the cheek. No matter how many times he did it, it always caused Dan to blush and grin. He turned his head to look over at the blue eyed boy and squinted slightly due to the sunlight streaming through the window.

Dan copied Phil's position and leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. The kiss started off soft and gentle but soon grew into being more needy. As the kiss deepened, Phil had a surge of confidence and moved so he was straddling Dan's waist. Dan's hands automatically brushed through Phil's hair and trailed down the boy's sides before resting on his thighs.

Before it could go any further, Phil's stomach rumbled, causing him to pull away and giggle. "Sorry, my stomach obviously doesn't want to wait."

Dan quickly pecked Phil on the lips once more before getting up and stretching. They made their way downstairs, following the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen. It was Dan's turn to have his stomach rumble. They walk into the kitchen and see his dad flipping the final pancakes and his mum evenly distributing the bacon among four plates. She turned her head and smiled at the two boys entering the kitchen.

"Good morning you two, did you sleep well?"

Dan nodded while Phil said he had an amazing sleep, glancing over at Dan and blushing slightly. He was sure the only reason he did have such an amazing sleep was because Dan was with him, he didn't need to mention that to Dan's parents though.

They all sat down at the table once the food was done. Phil's mouth was watering just at the sight of the pancakes and bacon and he was eager to take the first bite. Breakfast went by with polite conversation, Dan adding in his opinions with sign language that his mum translated for Phil. He felt like he had been apart of this family for years, meanwhile he had only seen Dan's mum a handful of times and his dad once. He was glad that they accepted him and Dan being together and wasn't treated like the awkward fourth wheel that just happened to be there.

Dan went to help his mum do the dishes and Phil was left alone with Dan's dad at the table. He gulped because he didn't know what to say, but he also didn't want to be rude and not talk. It was easier to have a conversation when Dan was there, even if he didn't join in.

"Dan has told me a lot about you. Said that you were in a band and you met at one of your shows, right?"

"Yeah, it was kind of a weird really. I brought him up on stage during a song and then we met afterwards. It sounds kind of creepy, but I found him on the internet and we ended up talking a bunch there and met again and never really stopped hanging out. We started off as friends, but I don't really think either of us had any plans of just keeping it that way. I don't know, it just kind of happened." Phil wasn't sure why he was being so open about his relationship with Dan to his dad of all people. He just felt like he could be open and honest.

"I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I don't know if Dan has ever told you, but he struggled a lot through elementary and the first three years of high school. We were worried about him for a long time, he never made friends and we'd often find him crying after school and even before he had to go in the morning. We found out kids often made fun of him because he couldn't say anything to stand up for himself. My wife told me that ever since he found your music he became much happier, happier than we've ever seen him."

Phil didn't know what to say. He knew that Dan had had trouble fitting in at school, but he wasn't aware that it was that bad. He also wasn't aware of how much his music had actually affected Dan.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you. Thank you for being there for him when I couldn't be. Thank you for being in his life and being the positive change he needed, even if you didn't know at the time. I don't know where he'd be without you. You're his whole world, kid."

"And he's mine. I love your son, sir, more than anything. I really don't know where I'd be without him either."

And that was the truth. Phil was so aware that Dan had become a ray of positivity in his life and he knew that they had both needed each other. He was so in love with Dan Howell that he felt like his heart would explode out his chest every single time he glanced his way. He was his everything and he knew that Dan felt the exact same way, more than he had thought before.

Dan Howell wasn't Phil Lester's world, he was his entire universe.


	26. Chapter 26

Summer had come and gone and autumn had started. It was Dan's favourite season. The autumn leaves that lay on the ground crunching beneath his feet, the light chill that made baggy sweaters acceptable, and his inner white girl craving pumpkin spice lattes. Not having school made it even better. He should be focusing on getting a job and figuring out what he wanted to do with his life, but that could wait for now.

His dad had gone back overseas, but was coming back for Christmas so the wait wouldn't be as bad. It was only a few months rather than half a year like last time. His mum had been happier ever since he had come home which made Dan happier than he already was.

Phil had been able to hang out with Dan more often now that the Vegas album was recorded and set to release in a month. He still had to go on "dates" with Victoria, but the rest of his time was dedicated to Dan rather than recording. They knew they had to use that time to their advantage since Phil would eventually have to go back on tour for the new album as well as do promo interviews and photoshoots. Dan still chose to ignore the fact that he'd have to go months without seeing Phil soon.

He was also wondering how they'd handle the public relationship stunt during the tour. Dan was hoping Victoria didn't have to go on tour with them, something that Dan would happily do but knew he couldn't since it would be "suspicious". He had to laugh at the irony of their "relationship" though since they both weren't straight. It wasn't like he had to worry about Victoria stealing Phil away from him, he just wanted to be the one who got to spend all his time with Phil. His jealously didn't help with the situation.

Dan was currently on his way over to Phil's flat for a reason he was unknown to. He didn't need a reason to see Phil, but he was being adamant in Dan coming over as soon as possible. Dan wasn't a fan of surprises, he hated them really, especially when he knew there was going to be one. Phil was the only reason he would tolerate this one time. He tolerating a lot of things because of Phil Lester.

**Phil:** are you almost here? :)

**Dan:** almost. about 10 minutes

**Phil:** ugh hurrryyyyy

**Dan:** boi I'm walking as fast as I can. texting you is slowing me down ;)

**Phil:** okay fine. I just want to see you :)

Dan rolled his eyes with a smile. He almost wanted to take even longer just to bug Phil, but as he was thinking it, he found himself quickening his pace. Again, he did a lot of things for Phil Lester.

He arrived at the flat in half the time he thought it would take and knocked on the door, a bit breathless from the speed he had walked. Despite how breathless he was from the walk, nothing compared to how breathless he became when he saw Phil. He opened the door with his signature grin that made Dan swoon and immediately dragged him into the apartment.

Dan was still confused as to why he was wanted but he didn't really care because Phil was here. He followed Phil to the lounge and was lead to the couch where he was forced to sit.

"Okay, you probably think I'm acting a little weird right now, but I think you'll like why I wanted you here."

Dan raised an eyebrow, urging Phil to continue. Half of him was excited, while the other half was a little scared.

"Would you like to be the first person not in Vegas, to hear the new album?"

The half of him that was scared was now taken over by excitement. The fanboy Dan from earlier this year would have probably passed out if he was given this opportunity, and the Dan now was as equally close to passing out. He didn't care if he was dating Phil, he was still obsessed with Vegas, and always would be.

He nodded excitedly, curling his feet up onto the couch, making himself comfy as Phil pressed play on the stereo before coming to sit down beside Dan. They laced their fingers together as the first notes of the opening song filled the room. Song after song played and Dan couldn't help but notice just how much Vegas had matured as band since their debut album. They seemed more confident in their music, and it was obvious that Phil was more confident in his songwriting and singing ability.

Every song was personal in some aspect and they either made Dan want to get up and dance around the room or sit quietly and cry, which he did do a couple times. Quite shamelessly too.

The album came to end and he glanced up at Phil to see he was already looking at him. "Do you like it?"

Dan nodded rapidly, he loved it, and he wasn't just saying that either. It was an album he would have loved if he were unbiased and had never heard of the band. He was so proud of Vegas for putting together this masterpiece of an album and he couldn't wait for everyone else to hear it either. It truly was something special.

He leaned over to the stereo to replay it from the start, and leant into Phil and shut his eyes to enjoy it for the second time. They continued doing so until night fell and he still wasn't over it.

**danisnotonfire:** okay you're gonna flip over the new Vegas album IT IS SO GOOD

**annaisvegastrash:** listen here you little shit not all of us get this special privilege to listen to beautiful things in advance STOP TEASING ME

**danisnotonfire:** just giving you a little warning ;)

**annaisvegastrash:** ugh what did I do to deserve having to wait A MONTH

**danisnotonfire:** it'll be worth the wait, I promise

-

Dan knew the day that Phil had to go on tour would come eventually, he just chose to ignore the fact that it would be coming soon. The album had released and it had gotten positive reviews and debuted at number one. Not that Dan was surprised since this was what they deserved right from the beginning, but it was a wake up call to how big Vegas had gotten.

They were about to embark on a worldwide tour and Dan was going to have to stay in London while Phil travelled across the world without him. Victoria was going, obviously, and it sucked. She was nice, but she was taking the spot Dan thought he should have. He was the one actually dating Phil. He was the one who would actually be missing him. He was the one who wouldn't be seeing him for months just because of a publicity stunt that neither of them liked. It was shitty and Dan knew he had to deal with it but it didn't mean he had to pretend to be okay with it.

Phil didn't want to leave Dan either. He wanted to go on the tour, but he wanted to take Dan with him. He wouldn't even be in school so it was the perfect opportunity to travel and be together. At the same time, he couldn't be selfish and just take Dan with him because Dan still had a life to live in London. He was supposed to be figuring out what he wanted to do with his life and he needed to get a job. He wouldn't be able to do either of those things if he were constantly moving around with Phil.

It was 5am on the day Phil was leaving and he and Dan were sitting at the airport with the rest of the band waiting for the plane. They both knew they technically shouldn't be together in public, but at this point they didn't give a damn. It wasn't like there was a swarm of fans and paparazzi waiting for them this early in the morning, especially when no one knew when they were actually leaving.

Dan was leaning his head against Phil's shoulder, trying to stay awake since he didn't get much sleep the night before. He didn't want Phil to leave, but he understood that he had to. It was inevitably going to happen and he'd have to figure out how they were going to deal with it. Skype wasn't the same as being together in person, but it was something, and it was better than nothing at all. He was happy Phil was living his dream, and he wasn't about to let his selfish side take over that dream.

Sooner than either of them wanted, the announcement saying that boarding would begin sounded through the speakers. Phil squeezed Dan's hand before placing his finger under Dan's chin, bringing him up to face him. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy and yet he was still the most beautiful person Phil had ever seen.

"I'm going to try and Skype you every day, but I can't make any promises with the dodgy wifi in the tour bus and the Internet in the hotels. We may go a few days without talking, but that doesn't mean I'm going to even go a minute without thinking about you. I'm going to look out on every crowd and wish you were in there somewhere."

Dan smiled softly, trying not to cry more than he already had since last night. He didn't want the last image Phil saw of him for a while to be him crying.

"I'm going to miss you so much." Phil whispered as he pulled Dan in for a hug. Dan clutched the back of Phil's hoodie, and burrowing his face into the side of his neck.

They pulled away only to come back together through a kiss that would end up being the last one for quite some time. Again, Dan didn't want to think about that, for now he'd just enjoy the moment and keep it as a memory until the next time.

Someone called Phil, saying they had to go, and the moment was over way too soon. They both stood up from the uncomfortable seats and kissed one final time before Phil finally had to go. He walked backwards so he could see Dan for as long as possible, amazed that he was somewhat coordinated enough and managed to not fall down on his ass in the middle of an airport.

Before he turned the corner he blew a kiss to Dan and held up the symbol for 'I love you,' still the only one he could actually remember. Dan copied him and held it up until he could no longer see him. That was when the sinking feeling set in and he realized that he was alone. He didn't know how he was going to survive these next few months, but he also knew deep down that he'd be able to. He knew that he and Phil would be okay.


	27. Chapter 27

Dan had been trying his best to not sulk over Phil, but it was hard when it had already been a month since he left for the tour. They had been trying their best to text every day and Skype whenever Phil had the time and the Internet connection. Their text conversations usually lasted a few minutes or would be sporadic throughout the day, and their Skype sessions were mainly Phil talking about the tour as he tried to keep his eyes open and Dan occasionally writing on a dry erase board to reply.

There were too many days where Dan stayed in his room, sulking away because he knew Phil was either on stage or meeting fans and not with him. He knew he shouldn't be selfish, he didn't want to be, but he couldn't help what his brain thought of when he was lying down on his bedroom floor and staring up at his ceiling for hours on end.

He had tried to find a job, but anything he was slightly interested in required him to speak to customers, which obviously wasn't going to happen. The one job that seemed the best was at Tesco, where he'd spend the entire day stocking shelves and hoping no customers came up to him to ask questions. He had politely declined. He still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life and he was beginning to doubt that he ever would. For now he just wanted to be a mopey young adult who missed his boyfriend just a little too much.

Seeing pictures of Phil with Victoria made it even worse. They weren't even a couple for gods sake and she got to spend more time with Phil than Dan did. He was beginning to feel senses of hatred towards Victoria, but he blamed the envy since she was actually nice and hated it as much as both boys did. Now that the album was out and the tickets were sold and the band was getting airtime on radio stations internationally, you'd think they be able to stop with the bullshit relationship. Their management wanted it to last until the end of the year, but the tolerance level of everyone involved was running low.

Phil spent most nights trying to figure out how he could get out of it early. How they could make it seem believable enough to make management happy even if it ended earlier than planned, and how to not make either he or Victoria look like the bad guy in the "relationship." If it were up to him, he'd just go on Twitter and be blunt about it. Explain how the entire thing was a publicity stunt and how he was in love with Dan and not Victoria. Be able to say how all his songs were about Dan in interviews, and tell fans how he found inspiration and happiness in someone who was only a fan at the beginning of the year. He wanted to be honest, he wanted to be himself.

The whole situation was problematic and it was about to get worse.

Somehow, a picture leaked of Phil holding hands with Dan. He didn't remember where it was taken and he didn't know how the hell someone had seen them because they both made sure they were 100% alone whenever they made any physical contact. They had barely been outside together in the first place. The only time that really stood out to Phil as a possibility was when they were walking home after their picnic. It was the one time they weren't careful enough and that one time was the perfect opportunity to have everything they tried to hide backfire.

Media outlets went crazy once they got word of the photo and soon it was plastered in almost every magazine and some entertainment news shows on tv. Phil wouldn't care and take this as a blessing and chance to be honest if it weren't for his management being furious. He had gotten into a heated phonecall with his manager and had been told he had to go on social media and explain it was a photo from before his relationship with Victoria, and was just a one time thing. Phil argued that the majority of the fanbase already knew about Dan anyway since he himself had been a fan. Most people already knew they had formed a friendship and they weren't daft enough to notice it had become more before the publicity stunt mess had started.

The only people that gave a shit about him and Victoria were the fans who had come into the fanbase after the newest album release and the media who believed any rumour they were fed. If they got a story, they went with it. They didn't care about the details as long as it went to the front page.

Phil had hung up after saying a few selective words he never thought he'd string together when his manager suggested that he break up with Dan. He didn't care how pissed management got and he didn't care how messy the story got with media, he wasn't, and never would break up with Dan. Especially over a relationship that wasn't real in the first place. He needed to figure out how to tell the news as soon as possible, without getting into more trouble than he already was.

Meanwhile, Dan was being bombarded with confused and a few angry tweets about the whole situation. The picture had spread like wildfire and it only took a few minutes for his mentions to become a war zone. Most people were simply questioning whether he was dating Phil, but some were actually quite heated. Never in his life did he think he'd be called a whore and a homewrecker from people he didn't know.

He was staying silent as he read through the tweets blowing up his phone. He wanted to reply with the truth, but he also didn't want to do anything that would get Phil into more trouble than he could only assume he was already in. Anna on the other hand was being Dan's voice on Twitter and replying to as many people as she could, usually targeting the ones sending Dan hate.

**daisychainlester: @danisnotonfire** so how does it feel to be a homewrecker?

**annaisvegastrash: @daisychainlester** how does it feel to be someone who enjoys making assumptions over situations they know nothing about?

**panicatvegas: @danisnotonfire** why are you getting between victoria and phil? they're happy together

**annaisvegastrash: @panicatvegas** why are you getting into his business and why are you so goddamn blind

**sluttyformatt: @danisnotonfire** your such a whore

**annaisvegastrash: @sluttyformatt** *you're

**sluttyformatt: @annaisvegastrash** wow congrats what are you a dictionary

**annaisvegastrash: @sluttyformatt** no. but I am someone who can understand simple grammar. please leave the internet and come back when you get an IQ

**annaisvegastrash:** can ya'll sending hate to **@danisnotonfire** please calm your tits and stop assuming you know what's going on. go do your homework.

Dan retweeted Anna's tweet before closing down the app and putting his phone off to the side. He covered his face with his hands and inhaled deeply before exhaling. He always used to read through celebrity drama, but never thought he'd ever be the centre of it one day. It was truly exhausting and he pitied the celebrities that were much bigger than Vegas. This was bad enough and they had half the fame as some other bands out there. Dan was just grateful that he had a small support system and the majority of the Vegas fanbase already had their suspicions about him and Phil and weren't attacking him. Some of them were actually happy over it, he just had to ignore the ones who felt the need to send hate.

He still couldn't help but feel insecure about it though. Maybe he really wasn't enough for Phil. Maybe he was keeping Phil from being with someone he actually wanted to be with. What if Phil grew tired of Dan and found someone else while he was on tour? He could be with someone who could actually talk to him, someone who didn't get jealous easily, someone who he could be seen in public with without worrying that someone would see. Phil's life would have been a whole lot easier if he hadn't have wandered into it.

Dan felt stupid for thinking what he was thinking. He knew Phil better than that. He wasn't about to go flaunt around with the next person he was attracted to, and he wasn't about to leave Dan just because he was bored of him. The whole thing was ridiculous and Dan hated himself for even thinking it. He had faith in Phil and he knew this storm would blow over once everyone got bored or something much more interesting happened.

He picked himself up off the floor and grabbed his phone before going downstairs. His mum was still working so he decided to go for a walk. He needed to clear his head and he knew the exact spot he needed to go to to accomplish that.

The walk was short and Dan was soon at the spot by the river. The one place he knew he wouldn't be bothered, and the one place he knew he wouldn't be seen. Last time he was here, he was with Phil, and it suddenly didn't feel the same without him. Dan used to come here almost everyday after school when he just needed a break from the bullies who had to make jeering comments at someone who couldn't even stand up for themselves. He came here when all he wanted to do was close his eyes and hope he didn't wake up. It always managed to calm him down and change his thinking around. It got better after awhile, the bullies stopped making comments, save a few who still hasn't grown up, and most people decided to just ignore him instead, which was perfectly fine to Dan.

Then Phil Lester came around.

He had changed Dan's life within a few minutes of the very first song and he didn't know what his life would be right now if he hadn't dropped his headphones and been too lazy to pick them up. He knew he wouldn't be in the middle of some celebrity drama, but he also wouldn't have met the boy who saved his life. That alone, made this whole situation worth it. The worst case scenario could come out of it and he still wouldn't regret a thing.

Dan felt a vibration from his pocket, completely forgetting he had actually brought his phone. He took it out and smiled as he saw the text from Phil.

**Phil:** so we've gotten ourselves into a little mess haven't we :$

**Dan:** look at us being that problematic couple that nobody wants to be around. is your manager mad?

**Phil:** of course but he can get over it. honestly I'm so sick of the "relationship" anyway. I don't care what they say, it's not like they can actually do anything. we're the ones making them the money

**Dan:** what are we going to do then?

**Phil:** I want to be honest about it but the only way to do that is to throw management under the bus and I don't want to be that person... at this point I'm highly considering it. they want me to break up with you and I can already say that isn't happening. ever.

**Dan:** I don't want to get you into any more trouble than you already are though...

**Phil:** Dan I'm not letting you go. I already made that promise to you before this whole thing started. you're not getting rid of me that easily

**Dan:** I'd never want to. sorry it's just all a little overwhelming. I just want you to be able to be you. the relationship side of it shouldn't matter to anyone

**Phil:** we're going to get through this, don't worry. it's just another barrier that we have to hop over

**Dan:** more like just break right through it

**Phil** : god I miss you so much. I hate not being able to see you all the time. I've grown so used to your company and just being there with you. this feels so foreign

**Dan:** I miss you too :( I wish I could just come with you

**Phil:** what if you came on the tour for like a week? we'd be able to see each other, but I wouldn't consume your time so you can find a job. you can come for the week of whatever show Anna goes to and if she doesn't have tickets I'll give her some

**Dan:** omg

**Phil:** is that a yes? :)

**Dan:** um do I love you?

**Phil:** I mean I'm not sure anymore I haven't heard it for a while ;)

**Dan:** yes you dingus! of course it's a yes

**Phil:** I love you so much, you know that right?

**Dan:** I know, I love you too. more than I probably should

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is coming to a close. there's more than likely going to be 2 chapters left after this one (well one chapter and an epilogue). I've been pretty inspired lately to actually write and update quite frequently. I also want to finish this fic before college gets too hectic and I don't leave any of you hanging. I love you all and I hope you're having a great day ✨


	28. Chapter 28

Everyone has moments that can't come fast enough and for Dan that was his plane arriving in the US so he could finally see Phil. His already cramped up leg was bouncing up and down, earning him stern and annoyed glances from the man sitting beside him. He didn't care. He just wanted to see Phil.

After what felt like seven years, the plane landed and Dan stood up only having to wait until the people in front of him made their way off the plane. He rolled his eyes impatiently, not caring if he seemed rude to other people. He was just surprised the man beside him hadn't called him out yet. Dan appreciated his obviously high tolerance level.

The process took much longer than Dan had patience for but soon he was off the plane and walking into the airport, looking for the tall boy with black hair. He scanned the crowd and decided to wait in an uncrowded section to make himself more visible. He didn't want to keep walking around and end up missing Phil anyway. Not that it was hard to miss him since they were the tallest people there.

As if heaven's light was shining down, Dan zoned in on Phil, who looked just as lost as Dan did. He booked his way across the airport, dodging everyone like he was some sort of secret agent. Again, the things he managed to do for Phil.

Phil's attention landed on the tall and awkward boy dodging through the crowd and he grinned widely. As soon as Dan was free of the crowd he smacked into Phil quite violently, causing him to take a few steps backs and almost knocking him over. He hugged Phil tightly, glad they managed to not fall over and shamelessly began to cry. Feeling Phil's arms around him for the first time in months felt like the safest place in the world and he wanted to freeze time right then and there to appreciate the feeling of never wanting to let him go.

The only reason he pulled away from the hug was so he could kiss him. The moment their lips connected Dan forgot all about the people around him and just focused on Phil. It felt like they hadn't even been apart, and yet it also felt like it had been years. It was a feeling he couldn't quite explain, all he knew was that he had missed Phil more than he thought he did and that he loved him.

"I've missed you so much." Phil said breathlessly. "More than you can imagine."

Dan smiled in his way of saying he missed Phil too and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. For the first time that day, he remembered the drama that was centred around them and became highly aware that they were in a high traffic area. His smile dropped and he pulled his hand away from Phil's, not wanting to cause more attention than they probably already did by making out in the middle of a crowd.

Phil grabbed his hand as he pulled it away, "I don't care. If people see, they see."

And in that moment, Dan fell in love with Phil Lester all over again. He held Dan's hand and walked through the crowd with an aura of confidence and determination that slowly radiated onto Dan. They held hands like any normal couple would without fear that they'd be seen. They held hands like they were supposed to.

Dan grabbed his luggage and headed out of the airport and hopped into a cab. Phil directed the driver to the venue that Vegas was playing in tomorrow night and Dan was in awe in how big it was compared to the venues they played on their first tour. This one could easily hold triple the amount of people than the one Dan went to and it was crazy to think that Vegas had sold it out.

"It's the biggest venue on the tour. Kinda weird to think how just last year we played a venue that could fit inside this one twice. Are you ready for the exclusive backstage tour?"

The two boys walked throughout the venue, pausing to talk to certain people and Phil introducing Dan to the many crew members who helped put together the tour. Dan always appreciated the people who worked behind the scenes, there wouldn't be a show without them after all. He assumed most of them realized who he was, some made comments, some even congratulated Phil for doing what he wanted to do. If only he could get management to understand that since he technically wasn't supposed to be doing this. He still didn't care though.

The final stop of the tour was Vegas' dressing room. Dan and Phil entered the room only the be greeted by the other members who all looked up from their phones in unison. They all knew Dan already and greeted him happily. All of them were aware of the whole publicity stunt and they all thought it was bullshit. They approved of Dan and Phil doing what they wanted and said they would support them in any way they could. Even if that meant calling out management for being assholes. Hopefully, without being fired.

The two boys leave the dressing room, leaving Matty, Henry, and Adam to do whatever they were doing before. As they walk down the hallway, a girl that Dan knows all too well walks towards them.

"You're Dan, right?" Victoria asks with a smile.

Dan nods, and jumps slightly as she wraps her arms around him to hug him. He tentatively wraps his arms around her torso and glances over at Phil who looks extremely amused.

"Sorry, I can be very pushy and have a bad habit of respecting people's personal bubble. I'm Victoria, as you probably already know and I'm your man's beard, which you also already know. Wow, sorry, I'm rambling. Hi, Phil."

"You've had a caramel frappe again haven't you?"

"No, what makes you say that?!"

"You're twitching, and you've lost your already nonexistent filter."

"Okay, I had one. But they're so good! You can't expect me not to have them. I don't care if I get all jittery and say words faster than I can think them."

"Well, like she said, she's Victoria and she's usually more calm than this, but not too different than now."

Dan could already tell that he would end up liking Victoria. It wouldn't take long to get used to her bubbly personality.

"Speaking of no filter, that Anna girl, is she single?"

"He wasn't supposed to know about that, but I don't know, why don't you ask her?" he looks over at Dan, "I wanted to surprise you with Anna already being here, but that got ruined."

"Oops, sorry, I'm just going to stop talking."

Phil sighed and smiled over at Dan, "I'm guessing you want to go see her now?"

Dan nods eagerly, following Phil down the hallway with Victoria trailing behind. They enter a room that looks like a lounge area and Anna jumps off the couch, running towards Dan. "I've missed you!" she yells as she throws her arms around him. This was the second time today that Dan felt safe in a set of arms.

"Now that everyone is reunited, can we go out for lunch? I'm starving!" Phil pleaded, holding onto his stomach to dramatic effect.

"You're so needy, Phil." Anna says, but is interrupted by her own stomach rumbling. "But you're right. Let's go get food!"

Dan, Phil, Victoria, and Anna all leave the venue and head down the street to a restaurant that looked promising. They order their food and talk like every normal friend group would. It meant a lot to Phil to be able to just have a normal day that wasn't surrounded by touring and shows. Sometimes he needed a break from the limelight for a little while and just act like every normal person would. He held Dan's hand under the table, running his thumb over his knuckles as he listened to Victoria and Anna debate over some tv show he didn't know about.

The perfect moment was ruined much sooner than Phil would have wanted. His phone begins to ring and sighs when he sees that it's his manager calling. Dan squeezes his hand and gives him a sad smile as he picks up the phone to answer it. The table goes silent as Phil's manager begins to speak loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I thought we talked about being seen with Dan."

"What are you doing, spying on me?"

"It didn't need to come to this if you had just listened and went along with what I told you until the end of the year. He needs to go home, I'm sorry, Phil. Just do this for me until the end of the year and then I won't ask you to do it."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to hide who I am and lie about who I'm dating just because it'll get good press. I appreciate you trying to help me, I really do, but this isn't what makes me happy. The press shouldn't care about who I'm dating. They should care about the music."

"Look, we had a deal-"

"I don't care! Going around with Dan isn't going to give me bad publicity. I get what you were trying to do and I'm not doing it anymore."

"Give me the phone." Victoria demands as she holds her hand out. Phil gives her a confused look but does what she says anyway.

"Hi, this is Victoria. I completely agree with what Phil is saying because I'm done with it too. If it makes you feel any better I've already sent out a tweet saying that I like the company of girls much more so you don't need to worry anymore."

"Don't-"

"Sorry, it's done already. Have a lovely day!"

She hangs up and hands the phone back to Phil, "So, does anyone want dessert?"

"Did you-did you actually just do that?" Anna stutters out with widened eyes.

"Oh yeah, go look at my twitter."

Phil opens up the twitter app and his mouth drops open as he reads the tweet.

**vickyroberts:** hey tweet peeps! phil is a lovely person but I prefer girls so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ hope you're all having a lovely day!

The table sits in silence as everyone tries to process what just happened. Phil starts to laugh softly which gradually becomes louder as he realizes he's free. He doesn't have to hide anymore. He can be who he really is. He can love Dan freely and openly without any worrying. He grabs the sides of Dan's face and kisses him with a smile still on his face.

"I love you, Dan Howell. I know I suck at sign language, but I'm going to learn for you."

Dan smiles widely and mouths the words, 'I love you too.'

The four of them spend the rest of the day exploring the city. Dan and Phil hold hands the entire time and Anna and Victoria walk closer than friends normally would. The perfect day was back and all of them felt free and happy. It really was a good day after all.

-

It was the next day and Vegas was getting ready to get on stage and play their biggest show of the tour. Dan, Anna, and Victoria had reserved their front row seats. They could have watched the show from the side of the stage, but all three wanted to be able to watch the show like everyone else would. Only a few months ago, Dan and Anna were standing front row at a Vegas show as fans, and now they were front row as friends. Time changed a lot of things, but they were still obsessed fans at heart, and that wouldn't change.

The venue had filled up to max capacity and the constant hum of voices calmed Dan. He still felt as if concerts were a safe haven and he still knew this fandom was a family. The houselights turn off, screams bouncing off the walls, and the music begins. Dan sings and dances along to every song and feels like he's gone back in time to his first Vegas show. He still looks up to Phil as if he invented the stars.

The show goes by quickly and soon they're at set of songs performed during the encore. "How is everyone tonight?" Phil asks, getting a roaring rumble of screams as a reply. "I'd like to do something special tonight, if that's okay with you. We have a song that we've never performed live before and we'd like to share it with you. It's a special song to me and it's about this boy who I love very much. It's called, 'All You Get is Sound.' and it goes like this."

Phil sings the song and for the moment it feels like it's only him and Dan. In a room full of people, he managed to make it feel like two. He looked directly at Dan as he sang the song written specifically for him. The venue lights up with cell phone flashlights and it's the first time that Phil has wanted the crowd to be silent during a show.

This is what Phil had wanted ever since he met Dan. He wanted to be able to play the songs that were about him and make it blatantly obvious they were about him. For the first time, he was being honest with his audience and nothing had changed with them. They remained supportive and that's all Phil could have asked for.

He saw Dan smiling up at him like he had been during the very first time they saw each other. His adoration for Phil had never wavered, it had only grown. He could see his dimples from the stage and he felt himself smiling at how adorable he really looked.

If someone had told either of them where they were right now, they both would have rolled their eyes. They never dreamt that something as simple as a band could have brought them together. They more than likely never would have met and neither of them wanted to think of a world where they hadn't.

To Phil, the only person that mattered was Dan and to Dan, the only person that mattered was Phil. They were each other's biggest fans and neither of them would have it any other way.


	29. Chapter 29

***a few years later***

Dan was sitting in the middle of his room, packing boxes surrounding him as he looked through a box that he had forgotten was hidden under his bed. It was a memory box of all things Vegas and it was sending him down a rabbit hole of memories. All of the albums that got him through his roughest times, a photo album full of photos of him, Anna, Victoria, and Phil in various locations they had gone to for adventures, the very first picture that he taken of him and Anna sitting on the same floor he was sat on now, and the concert ticket that had gotten him into his very first Vegas show. At the very bottom, he saw sheets of paper that he had forgot even existed. 

He smiled down at the paper before closing the box and placing it within another box that would eventually be stored into the back of a moving van. Dan was feeling extremely nostalgic these days, from both moving and finding little memories stored around his room that brought back both positives and negatives. For the first time in his life, he could say he was without a doubt happy with who he was. 

When he had returned home from spending the week with Phil on tour, he had applied for a job at a local music store. He spent the majority of his time unpacking new shipments of CDs and records and sorting them onto the shelves. This job gave Dan easy access to finding new bands and artists he had never heard of and he bought a new CD every time he got a paycheque. On his spare time, he found himself writing small reviews of the bands and artists on his Tumblr and one day he found that he had blown up considerably. People would flood his inbox asking for him to review the newest album of a certain band and soon he had more requests than time to listen to the actual albums.

One fateful day, he received an email from a company that had a magazine that focused on music. He was asked to come in for a job interview as someone who could write a monthly column as a professional music critic. Dan thought he was dreaming and he went into the interview with nothing but a pen and paper so he could converse with them. He explained that he had started the blog for fun and that he hadn't done any schooling in music or journalism. Despite that fact, they wanted him anyway. He had gotten a job purely by accident and he was elated. He had a job, he had an idea of where his life was going, and he was moving in with Phil. 

-

Dan had settled into Phil's flat and was currently curled up into Phil's side as they watched The Great British Bake Off. He smiled to himself as he realized that this was something that was going to happen nearly every night. He would be able to spend every bit of free time with Phil and have him be the last thing he saw before he fell asleep and the first thing he saw when he woke up. 

"What are you smiling at?" Phil asks. Dan only shrugs and leans his head on Phil's shoulder. He had a lot of things to smile at recently, but the number one reason would always be Phil.

That's when he remembers the sheets of paper he had seen in his memory box earlier that morning. He gets up and walks into their bedroom, leaving Phil sitting on the couch in confusion. He grabs the box from inside the closet and brings it out into the lounge to share with Phil. Dan hands him the box and watches him open the lid and grin when he sees the contents inside.

He looks at everything, reminiscing at all the memories, and pausing at the paper that Dan brought the box out for in the first place. He looks up and Dan, who only points back to the paper, urging him to read it. He looks back down and the puzzle pieces fall into place when he realizes that he's holding Dan's turning point essay.

_Everything started with me being too lazy to pick up my fallen headphones off the floor. I turned on a local radio station and sat down to try and write the very essay you're reading now. I was uninspired, therefore, unmotivated. There was nothing in my life that was worth calling a turning point. My life was a routine of waking up and going to school and doing homework without being able to voice how I felt about anything. I was at the point of giving up without even starting when I heard it. The one song that turned my world upside down and shook it like a snow globe. I had discovered Vegas._

_Living wasn't the easiest task. Making friends was impossible for me and the only people that paid any attention to the poor kid who couldn't speak were the ones who used a disability for ridicule. I couldn't stand up for myself, all I could do was try my best to ignore them, but how can you when the hurtful words they said stained my skin like a tattoo that was unwanted? Those same words bounced around my skull day in and day out. Flashing behind my eyes like an old neon sign when I tried to fall asleep, preventing me from falling into a painless and empty sleep even for a few hours._

_My dad was overseas fighting a war he didn't start and my mum worked long shifts just to keep us afloat. She tried to remain positive, but every once in awhile the distance between her and her other half took its toll. All we did was wonder if my dad was okay, if he was even still on this planet breathing the same oxygen. There were too many time where I found her crying in the kitchen at 3am and hadn't been able to give any words of reassurance because I myself was doubtful and physically couldn't. People can only take so much at once and I was reaching my breaking point._

_Vegas came into my life at the moment I needed it most. With just one song they gave me something to live for. A band may seem like a silly reason to continue breathing, but to me it made all the sense in the world. Their songs were hopeful, they explained how even the people who seemed to have it all often felt the same way as I did. They became a hiding place. A place where I felt safe and important even though they had no idea I existed. They become friends, they became hope. It's something you don't understand until you've experienced it and I truly hope everyone finds their own Vegas._

_These four strangers were a constant source of positivity that introduced me to my best friend. They say to never talk to strangers on the internet, but in today's society, kids find better friends online than they do in real life. We talked every single day and eventually we got to meet by going to a Vegas concert. I was constantly torn between being more excited for Vegas themselves and meeting Anna. In the end, I was more excited to meet her. We acted as if we had been friends since birth and that entire week went down as the best week of my life._

_The concert came around and I found myself surrounded by a group of kids who all felt as lost as I had. I found a family of people who all found some source of happiness through four guys who could sing and play instruments and that is one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. Vegas came on stage and it was such a surreal moment that I pinched myself more times than any normal person would. They were real and they were in front of me and they were humans with imperfections just like everyone else in that room. We all had differences, but we weren't that different after all._

_Then the unbelievable happened. Phil, the lead singer and the person who had become my sun, moon, and all my stars, pulled me up onstage to sing along with them. Obviously I couldn't do that, so I had to do it my own way. I had spent a lot of my free time practicing some of their songs in sign language and luckily I was pulled up during my favourite song. I signed along with Phil as he sang and it was a moment I will never forget. Afterwards, Anna and I waited for Vegas and we had a decently long conversation which meant a lot to me. They proved that they truly care about their fans and supporters and don't take them granted. I knew that I had chosen the right people to love._

_Vegas was and still is a sense of support that I know I can always turn to when the light starts to dim and the storm feels like it will take forever to pass. I don't know if I would be still be here if it weren't for them, and I don't want to think of a world where I had given up before knowing who they were. They gave me the strength to continue fighting even when all life wanted to do was throw down barricades. Life has become bearable again and I will always be grateful for what they have done for me. Sometimes all you have to do when the world gets loud is to get louder, and Vegas gave me a voice to say what I need say._

Phil said nothing and yet Dan knew exactly what he wanted to say. He put the essay off to the side and moved closer to Dan, grabbing onto his hand and looking him in the eye. "You're so important, Dan, and I'm so happy that you were able to see that. You are so special to me and I wake up every morning happy that I got to meet you. Thank you for turning on the radio that day. Thank you for giving me and Vegas a chance. I love you so much, more than you'll ever know."

Dan did nothing but smile, the essay had said everything he could ever need to say. He leans in, touching his lips to Phil's and sighs. He never thought he'd fall in love with the lead singer of a band, and he definitely didn't think that lead singer would fall in love back. He was glad that he did. This would always be everything he'd ever need and he was content with that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well... that's the end! thank you for making it this far and reading this fic in general! I hope you all enjoyed it because I know I enjoyed writing it. don't be a stranger just because it's over though, okay? I'll be writing more fics in the future so look out for those and maybe hmu on twitter (phantargaryen) or tumblr (overcast-phan) :) 
> 
> I hope you're all smiling xo


	30. playlist

voice on the radio // marie digby

a daydream away // all time low

you don't see me // safetysuit

thank you // amber run

strong enough // too far moon

touch my hand // david archuleta

things i'll never say // avril lavigne

talk about you // mika

we're my otp // troye sivan

always in my head // coldplay

stuck on you // new politics

trip // hedley

this // ed sheeran

your biggest fan // nevershoutnever

favourite record // fall out boy

i really like you // carly rae jepsen

boom // simple plan

tear in my heart // tøp

somewhere only we know // keane

all you get is sound // hedley


End file.
